Gareth Bale’s surprising retirement announcement on Monday has left a hole in football. At the peak of his powers, the Welshman was undoubtedly one of the greatest players of this generation and his outstanding 23 trophies are living proof of that.
The 33-year-old not only leaves behind an impressive trophy haul, but some incredible moments that helped him win some of his most prestigious silverware. We run through what we feel were Bale’s greatest individual moments in football.
The goal that sent Wales to their first World Cup in 64 years
When Wales went up against Ukraine for one of the final places at the Qatar World Cup last year, the Dragons were on the brink of making history. So of course the moment to make that happen fell to Bale. He stepped up for a free-kick and his powerful effort cannoned off the head of Andriy Yarmolenko to take the ball past the goalkeeper. It wasn’t Bale’s finest goal but because of what it meant, he and the fervent Welsh support wouldn’t care a single bit.
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Goal vs USA at the World Cup
It was the moment that his Wales career was leading up to. Having led his national team to back-to-back European Championships, Bale wanted his legacy to end with them getting to the World Cup. He did that against Ukraine and went one step further in Qatar. With his side trailing to USA in their opening group game, Wales were awarded a penalty. Bale held his nerves and converted from the spot to register his first and only goal at a World Cup finals.
Screamer against West Ham United
In Bale’s final season at Tottenham Hotspur, he was unplayable as he scored 21 Premier League goals. One of his finest came at West Ham United in the form of a stunning long-range strike. The flight of the ball was perfect, so perfect that goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen pulled out from trying to save it when he realised he could do nothing to stop it. The goal secured Spurs three points and the celebrations were wild.
Final Spurs goal against Sunderland
When it seemed that Spurs fans were about to say goodbye to their talisman at the end of 2012-13, Bale made sure he gave them something special to remember him by, with a beautiful strike against Sunderland at White Hart Lane. On his magical left foot, he cut inside from the right and unleashed a curling effort that left Simon Mignolet with no chance to keep out.
The Welshman's final #PL strike is our splendid #GoalOfTheDay
Free-kick against Slovakia
With Bale and Wales reaching their first European Championships in 2016, the supporters were given a moment worth waiting for in France as Bale fired in a free-kick to score Wales’ first goal at the tournament finals. He set them up for a 2-1 victory over Slovakia which set the pace for what would be an incredible run to the semi-finals.
Record transfer to Real Madrid
It is almost 10 years since the Welshman joined Real Madrid from Spurs in a record £80 million deal, surpassing the previous record set by Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Los Blancos from Manchester United. It was the start of an incredible journey with the Spanish giants that would see him collect five Champions League titles and three La Liga trophies. He made a total of 258 appearances for the Spanish giants and scored 106 goals.
Hat-trick against Inter Milan at San Siro
There aren’t many better locations to announce yourself on the Champions League stage than Milan’s iconic San Siro stadium. And when Spurs travelled to Italy to face Inter Milan, Bale took full advantage of this glorious stage. With his side 4-0 down against the reigning European champions at half-time, Bale turned up the heat in the second. He scored a delightful strike minutes after the restart to pull one back. His second involved a trademark Bale sprint down the channel to breeze past defenders to leave him one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The hat-trick was completed when he rifled in a shot from inside the penalty area in stoppage time. Spurs might have lost 4-3, but Bale certainly stole the show.
Tearing apart Maicon at White Hart Lane
Experienced Brazilian full-back Maicon was given his toughest test of his career when Inter travelled to north London for the return group game. Bale’s pace and skill were too much for him as he struggled to deal with the constant threat the Welshman posed to his side. Maicon could do nothing to stop Bale as the winger orchestrated a 3-1 win at White Hart Lane. The Welsh wizard created goals for Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko in a stunning performance.
Outpacing Marc Bartra for a stunning Copa del Rey final goal
El Clasico is one of football’s greatest rivalries and it is always exciting when Real Madrid square up with Barcelona, especially in a final. In the 2014 Copa del Rey final, Bale scored an outstanding goal to put Los Blancos 2-1 up. He picked up the ball by the halfway line and played a heavy touch past Marc Bartra to enter a race with the Barca defender. Despite being at a disadvantage after being knocked off the pitch, Bale left Bartra in his wake to go on and score in a stunning solo run.
Overhead kick against Liverpool in the Champions League final
Having not been favoured by Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, the Welshman was called upon to make an impact against Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final with the score at 1-1. Within minutes of coming on, Bale scored one of the greatest goals ever to be scored in a Champions League final as he unleashed a stunning overhead kick from the edge of the box. He inspired Los Blancos to their third consecutive European title and he even wrapped up the match with a strike from distance later in the game to further cement himself as the hero of the final.
