Here are some facts about Gareth Bale, the Welsh footballer.
- Gareth Bale was born on 16th July 1989 in Cardiff, Wales.
- His middle name is Frank.
- His 6′ 1″ tall (1.86 metres).
- His footballing hero was Ryan Giggs.
- Gareth Bale made his professional debut at the age of 16 years and 275 days. He played for Southampton against Millwall.
- Bale scored his first professional goal against Derby County on 6th August 2006.
- Bale started off playing the left-back position, but he became a left-sided midfielder / winger as his career progressed.
- He is fame for his pace, his crossing ability and the accuracy and power of his left-foot shots.
- Bale made 45 appearences for Southampton, scoring five goals, before moving to Tottenham Hotspur on 25th May 2007.
- On 20th October 2010, Bale recorded his first ever hat-trick, by scoring all of Tottenham’s goals against Inter Milan at the San Siro.
- On Boxing Day 2012, Gareth Bale scored his first Premier League hat-trick.
- Gareth Bale was named the PFA Player of the Year for the 2010/11 and 2012/13 seasons.
- He finished the 2012/13 season with 26 total goals in all competitions.
- On 1st September 2013, Gareth Bale signed for Real Madrid for a record transfer fee of £84.7 million. This eclipsed the previous record of £80 million that Real Madrid paid for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.
- Gareth Bale has played more than 40 matches for Wales, scoring more than 10 goals.
- Harry Redknapp, one of Gareth Bale’s managers at Tottenham, believes that Bale is in the same class as Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
- Gareth Bale lives with his long-time partner, Emma Rhys Jones. They have a daughter called Alba.
