Gareth Frank Bale MBE (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a winger, most notably for Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid and Wales. He is widely regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation and one of the greatest Welsh players of all time. He was best known for his explosive pace, athleticism, and powerful strikes from distance.
Bale began his professional career at Southampton, playing at left-back before moving to Tottenham in 2007. From the 2009–10 season, under the guidance of Harry Redknapp, Bale became an integral part of the team and transformed into a winger. He went on to receive several individual honours, including two PFA Players' Player of the Year awards and three PFA Team of the Year inclusions. In September 2013, Real Madrid signed Bale for a then world-record transfer fee of £85.1 million (€100.8 million). Being part of the subsequent trio dubbed BBC, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, Bale helped the club to win the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, scoring in both finals.
He was amongst the top three nominees for the 2015–16 UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award, scored an overhead kick in Real Madrid's 2018 UEFA Champions League Final victory, and was awarded the FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball in 2018. In 2020–21, he returned to Tottenham on loan, before playing his final season in Madrid. In his nine-year tenure, Bale won 15 trophies, including three La Liga titles and five Champions Leagues. He joined MLS club Los Angeles FC in July 2022 before retiring in January 2023, aged 33.
Bale made his senior international debut for Wales in May 2006, becoming the youngest player at that point to represent the nation. He then went on to earn 111 caps and scored 41 international goals, making him Wales' most capped player and top goalscorer of all time. He was the top scorer for Wales in their successful qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 2016, scoring seven times; he subsequently represented Wales in the final tournament as they reached the semi-finals, scoring three goals. He later featured for the side at Euro 2020 and was pivotal in Wales' qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, ending a 64-year appearance drought at the World Cup. He was named Welsh Footballer of the Year a record six times.
Bale lives in Madrid with his partner Emma Rhys-Jones, his high-school sweetheart. Their first child was born in Cardiff on 21 October 2012, and their second daughter was born in the same city on 22 March 2016. On 17 July 2016, Bale announced he and Rhys-Jones were engaged. On 9 March 2018, Bale announced that he and his fiancée were expecting their third child. Later that year, on 8 May, the couple announced the birth of their son. They married in June 2019.
Bale was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to association football and charity.
Bale is vegan and teetotal. In 2024, he promoted Heineken 0.0 for Dry January.
Bale does not speak Welsh. While at Real Madrid, he was criticised by the Spanish media for allegedly not learning the Spanish language, an accusation that his agent denied.
FIFA World Cup Player Of The Match 2022-11-21 |
1999-2006 |
2006-2007 |
2006-2022 |
2007-2013 |
2013-2022 |
2020-2021 (Loan) |
2022-2023 |
2013-2022 |
2022-2023 |
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