Who is Gareth Bale? Tottenham legend’s career stats, time in Spain, golf, and life outside football
Tottenham Hotspur fans were lucky enough to witness one of the greatest players of the modern era turn out for their club, but exactly who is Gareth Bale, and what is he up to now?
He wasn’t always great, though. In fact, he wasn’t even good for a long time, but Bale developed into a formidable forward, forged a career for himself in Spain, and retired as a Welsh legend.
Here, we break down those early days of Gareth Bale‘s career, how he earned himself a big-money move to Real Madrid, and his swansong spell with Spurs.
Tottenham signed Gareth Bale as a promising youngster
Gareth Bale came through the Southampton academy as a youngster and showed plenty of promise; so much so that Spurs negotiated a £10m deal to sign him in 2007 at the age of 17.
He had made 45 appearances for the Saints at that point, scoring five goals and registering 12 assists as his boyhood club challenged for promotion from the Championship.
Bale had a terrible start to his Tottenham career
Believe it or not, Bale struggled to make an impact at Spurs initially, and was even involved in an incredible winless streak in the Premier League that set a record at the time.
Gareth Bale’s Tottenham debut came in a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League, playing the full 90 minutes at left midfield. That would kickstart a run of 24 league games without a win for Bale, a record at the time, and one that stood until 2020 (Oliver Burke broke the record).
It wasn’t until the 2019/10 season that things started to look up for Bale. He recorded three goals and ten assists that year, and finally began to show glimpses of the quality and creativity he possessed.
The following season was a real breakthrough for Bale, as he announced himself on the biggest stage. His now-iconic displays against Inter Milan in the Champions League — scoring a hat-trick at the San Siro and then bagging two assists in the return fixture — enhanced Bale’s reputation to no end.
In the 2012/13 campaign, Bale hit new heights, scoring 21 league goals (26 in all competitions) and adding ten assists. That was enough to attract attention from elsewhere, and Bale’s time at Spurs came to an end that summer.
A huge move to Real Madrid
Gareth Bale moved to Real Madrid in the summer of 2013 for a then-record transfer fee of £85.3m. He would go on to win 16 major trophies with the Spanish side.
In his seven-year stay with Madrid, Bale made 258 appearances, scoring 106 goals and registering 67 assists. He won three La Liga titles, five Champions Leagues, one Copa del Rey, three European Super Cups, one Spanish Super Cup, and three Club World Cup titles.
Despite his individual success and his contributions to the team’s success over the years, Bale was not exactly a popular figure in Spain. The Madrid supporters did not appreciate his apparent reluctance to learn the language, and Bale himself was rather ambivalent about his connection to the club.
One more season at Spurs
Bale delighted Spurs fans by making a high profile return to the club in 2021, though he played for the side during lockdown and never got to appear before the supporters in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Jose Mourinho signed Bale for Tottenham on a season-long loan deal, and the Welshman featured as part of a three-pronged attack alongside Heung-min Son and Harry Kane.
It was an impressive campaign for Bale, who proved he still had what it takes to compete at the top level with a return of 16 goals and three assists.
What is Gareth Bale doing since retiring?
Gareth Bale retired from football in January of 2023, shortly after the 2022 World Cup. He now spends most of his time playing golf, a sport he has always been highly passionate about.
Upon his retirement, Bale said: “I feel incredibly fortunate to have realised my dream of playing the sport I love. It has truly given me some of the best moments of my life. The highest of highs over 17 seasons, that will be impossible to replicate, no matter what the next chapter has in store for me.”
Bale loved playing golf even during his football career, and has now stepped up that interest, by taking part in various Pro-Am tournaments, and he even won the Ryder Cup All-Star match alongside Colin Montgomerie.
The former player has also made football punditry appearances for TNT Sports as part of their Champions League coverage on occasion.
Aside from this, Bale has various business ventures, including numerous bars and restaurants. He also spends plenty of time with his wife and children, across their homes in the USA, London, and his homeland in Wales.
A Welsh hero
Bale made his Wales debut in 2006 as a youngster, and would go on to make 111 appearances for his country before retiring in 2023.
A 17-year-old Bale first turned out for the Red Dragons in a friendly win against Trinidad and Tobago, bagging an assist. From there on out, only injuries prevented him from being a part of the Welsh set up from time to time.
His 111 caps make him the most-capped Wales player of all time. Bale scored 40 international goals and added 22 assists throughout his career with Cymru.
He captained his country for many years, and helped them reach the semi-finals of Euro 2016. Many would say Bale is the best Welsh footballer of all time, and they’d probably be right.
Gareth Bale’s personal info and social media
Gareth was born in Cardiff, Wales, on July 16, 1989 to Debbie and Frank Bake.
He is 1.86m tall and weighs 81kg. Bale and his wife, Emma, have three children together, and have been married since 2019.
Bale is a vegan, and is teetotal, which is a big part of the reason he works closely with Heineken on their non-alcoholic lagers.
You can find Gareth Bale on Instagram, where he has over 53m followers. He is not all that active on Twitter, having not posted since July.
For more on the current Spurs first-team squad, why not check out our profiles on other Welshmen like Brennan Johnson, or you may be more interested in learning about the Spurs legends of old.
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