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#3 Winning his first Champions League
A month after his incredible goal in the Copa del Rey final, Bale lined up with Real looking to win the biggest prize of them all – the 2013-14 Champions League. Making matters more complicated though, Los Blancos were faced with their city rivals Atletico Madrid in the final.
Lining up with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema as part of a three-man strike force, Bale actually had a quiet game for the most part. Atletico took the lead in the 36th minute via a Diego Godin header. And as time ticked away, it looked like Real would fall short of their 10th victory in the famous competition.
However, the game was turned on its head in injury time. A header from Sergio Ramos sent the game into extra-time, denying Atletico a victory with basically no time remaining. And in the added period, it was Bale who once again stepped forward to save the day.
A run from Angel Di Maria saw the Argentine make his way into the box. But when his shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois, Bale was on hand to prod the rebound home to edge Real in front. And from there, their city rivals collapsed, conceding two more goals in the final two minutes to hand Los Blancos a 4-1 victory.
Not only had the Welshman gotten his hands on Europe's biggest prize in his first season at the Bernabeu, but he'd also scored what was the decisive goal in the Champions League final against his club's city rivals. Not bad for a debut season.
#4 Leading Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016
Wales fans had to wait a long time to see their team play in a major international tournament. By the time Euro 2016 came around, it'd been 58 years since the Dragons had appeared on the world stage. But in Bale, Chris Coleman's side could now call upon a genuinely world-class player.
Bale's seven goals in qualifying helped Wales cement a spot at the tournament in France, where they were drawn in a group with Russia, Slovakia and bitter rivals England. Nobody really expected them to go that far, but in the end they stunned everyone with their performances.
Bale scored three goals in the group stage, helping his side to finish top – setting up another all-British match with Northern Ireland in the Round of 16. And in a tight match, it was Bale's cross that led directly to Gareth McAuley's own goal to send Wales through to the quarter-finals.
The Dragons weren't finished there. Despite finding themselves 1-0 down to Belgium in the first half of their quarter-final tie, the Real Madrid star then helped his side to achieve a remarkable comeback. Wales won the match 1-3 to make the semi-finals.
Wales were defeated at that stage by eventual champions Portugal, but left France with their heads held high. They'd become the smallest-ever nation to make the semi-finals of the European Championship. And they had their talisman Bale to thank for a lot of their success.
#5 His incredible overhead kick in the 2018 Champions League final
By the time the 2018 Champions League final came around, Bale had been at Real Madrid for five seasons, and had won multiple trophies, including two La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues. However, he'd also been struggling for some time with injuries, and his future at the Bernabeu had been brought into question.
The Welshman started the final against Liverpool in Kyiv on the bench, as Real boss Zinedine Zidane preferred an attacking trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Isco. But with the game tied at 1-1, Bale was sent on just after the 60-minute mark in an attempt to turn things around.
Nobody could've seen quite how much of an impact that he would have. Just two minutes after his arrival on the pitch, Bale met a cross from Marcelo with a ludicrous bicycle kick that sent the ball flying into the net, giving Reds keeper Loris Karius absolutely no chance.
It was not only one of the best goals of Bale's career, but it was probably one of the greatest goals in Champions League history, too.
Twenty minutes later, the Welshman sealed the game for Real, scoring a long-range effort that Karius somehow managed to deflect into his own net. Once again, despite Los Blancos sporting a number of superstars in their team, it was Bale who'd stepped up to really help his side to win the match.
The game was probably Bale's final high point as a Real Madrid player – and he'll be hoping to resurrect his career with his potential move this summer.
