Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale, saját kép.JPG
Personal information
Full name Gareth Frank Bale
Date of birth 16 July 1989 (1989-07-16) (age 20)
Place of birth    Cardiff, Wales
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position Wing Back/Winger
Club information
Current club Tottenham Hotspur
Number 3
Youth clubs
Southampton
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
2005–2007
2007–		 Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur		 40 (5)
18 (2)   
National team2
2006–
2006–		 Wales U21
Wales		 04 (0)
15 (2)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 15:58, 30 November 2008.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 21:00, 19 November 2008 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh international footballer, currently playing for Tottenham Hotspur.

Contents

Schooldays

Bale was born in Cardiff, the younger of two children, and attended Eglwys Newydd Primary School at Whitchurch. His outstanding talent was evident from very early on, in particular his poise and left foot. It was while at this school he first came to the attention of Southampton at 9 years old, when he was playing in a 5 a side tournament with his first club, Cardiff Civil Service football club.

Bale then attended Whitchurch High School[1] in Cardiff, where, as well as football, he played rugby and hockey and was a distance runner. Because of his superior skills, the school's PE teacher, Gwyn Morris, had to write special rules. These restricted Bale to playing one-touch football and not using his left foot. Whilst at Whitchurch, Bale trained at Southampton's satellite academy in Bath, although there was initially some doubt if Southampton would give him a scholarship due to his height.

Despite being only 16 at the time, he helped the school's under-18 side win the Cardiff & Vale Senior Cup. He left school in the summer of 2005 with a Grade A in PE amongst his GCSE results. In his final year at school he was awarded the PE department's prize for services to sport. In the presentation, Morris commented: "Gareth has a fierce determination to succeed and has the character and qualities to achieve his personal goals. He is one of the most unselfish individuals that I have had the pleasure to help educate."[2]

Playing career

Southampton

At the age of 16 years and 275 days, Bale became the second youngest player ever to play for the Saints (after Theo Walcott) when he made his debut on 17 April 2006. He played the whole match as Southampton defeated Millwall 2–0.

On 6 August 2006, Bale scored his first league goal, a free kick, to level the scores at 1–1 against Derby County. The final score at Pride Park was 2–2.[3]

He scored again, at St. Mary's, against Coventry City[4] in the team's second game of the 2006–07 season with another free kick. Bale further developed his reputation as a free kick specialist when he struck the post from one against West Bromwich Albion.[5] By 16 December 2006, Bale's goal count had risen to five, thanks to a late equaliser against Sunderland[6] and free-kicks away to Hull[7] and at home to Norwich City.

In December 2006 he won the Carwyn James Award for the BBC Wales Young Sports Personality of the Year.[8] To cap his first full season as a professional footballer, Bale was named the Football League Young Player of the Year on 4 March 2007.[9]

His final game for Southampton was in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-final against Derby County on 12 May 2007. Bale suffered an injury during the second half, preventing him from appearing in the second leg.[10] In total, he made 45 appearances for Southampton, scoring five goals.

Tottenham Hotspur

Bale completed a transfer to Tottenham on 25 May 2007, arranging a four-year deal, with Tottenham making an immediate payment of £5 million, with further additional payments that could see Bale's transfer go up to £10m.[11] He played his first game for Spurs in a friendly against St. Patrick's Athletic on 12 July 2007, but was substituted on the 80th minute with a minor dead-leg.

He made his competitive debut for Tottenham Hotspur on 26 August away against Manchester United. In just his second Spurs appearance, he scored his first goal for Tottenham in the 3–3 draw with Fulham on 1 September when he latched on to Robbie Keane's flick, charged down the left flank unopposed and coolly slotted past goalkeeper Antti Niemi.[12] Bale then went on to score again against Arsenal in the North London Derby, scoring a free kick inside the near post of Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia. He continued then scored in the League Cup home tie against Middlesbrough, making it 3 goals in 4 starts for the 18-year-old. He also set up Spurs' goal against Anothorsis Famagusta in the UEFA Cup.

Bale was substituted after sustaining an injury resulting from a tackle from Fabrice Muamba in the league fixture against Birmingham City on 2 December 2007. A scan revealed that Bale had suffered ligament damage to his right ankle, consigning Bale to an extended period on the sidelines. Spurs' sporting director Damien Comolli announced in February 2008 that Bale would miss the rest of the season through injury.[13] He signed a new four-year deal with the club in August 2008.[14]

Wales

He made the senior Welsh squad at the end of the 2005–06 season and then played his debut on 27 May 2006[15] as a substitute in a 2–1 win over Trinidad and Tobago, making him the youngest ever player to play for Wales[16] aged just 16 years and 315 days to break Lewin Nyatanga's three-month old record. In the game he set up the winner for Robert Earnshaw.

On 7 October 2006, he became the youngest player ever to score a goal for the full Welsh national team in the Euro 2008 qualification match against Slovakia with a trade-mark free kick[17]. He scored his second goal for Wales in a 3–0 win over San Marino on 28 March 2007.

Brian Flynn, the U-21 Wales manager has expressed comments of the potential in Bale as a future star of the game. Bale's left-footed prowess and free kick ability have evoked comparisons to left-footed winger Ryan Giggs, also from Wales.[18]

Career stats

All-Time Club Performance
Club Season League Cup / Playoff Europe Total
Games Goals Games Goals Games Goals Games Goals
Southampton 2005–06 2 0 - - - - 2 0
2006–07 38 5 5 0 - - 43 5
Tottenham Hotspur 2007–08 9 2 1 1 3 0 13 3
Career Total 49 7 6 1 3 0 58 8
Correct as of 11:04, 21 August 2008 (UTC)

Honours

Southampton

Tottenham Hotspur

References

  1. ↑ "Wales Youngest Goal". whitchurchhs.com. Retrieved on 25 November, 2006.
  2. ↑ Young Gareth made own rules - The Daily Echo 13 January 2007. 
  3. ↑ "Derby 2 Southampton 2". saintsfc.co.uk. Retrieved on 21 January, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Saints 2 Coventry 0". saintsfc.co.uk. Retrieved on 21 January, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Saints 0 West Brom 0". saintsfc.co.uk. Retrieved on 21 January, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Sunderland 1 Saints 1". saintsfc.co.uk. Retrieved on 21 January, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Hull v Saints". saintsfc.co.uk. Retrieved on 21 January, 2007.
  8. ↑ "Calzaghe scoops BBC Wales honour". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 21 January, 2007.
  9. ↑ "Prestige award for Bale". saintsfc.co.uk. Retrieved on 5 March, 2007.
  10. ↑ "Southampton 1-2 Derby". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 3 June, 2007.
  11. ↑ "Tottenham complete Bale transfer". BBC Sport (2007-05-25). Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
  12. ↑ "Fulham 3-3 Tottenham". BBC Sport (2007-09-01). Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
  13. ↑ "Injury rules out Bale for season", BBC Sport (2008-02-04). Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  14. ↑ "Bale signs new Tottenham contract", BBC Sport (2008-08-13). Retrieved on 2008-08-13. 
  15. ↑ "Bale savours record Wales debut". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 21 January, 2007.
  16. ↑ "Gareth Bale becomes youngest ever Wales international". stellargroup.co.uk. Retrieved on 21 January, 2007.
  17. ↑ "Wales 1-5 Slovakia". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 21 January, 2007.
  18. ↑ "The £10 million man". icwales.icnetwork. Retrieved on 21 January, 2007.

External links

Tottenham Hotspur F.C. – current squad

1 Gomes • 2 Hutton • 3 Bale • 4 Zokora • 5 Bentley • 6 Huddlestone • 7 Lennon • 8 Jenas • 9 Pavlyuchenko • 10 Bent • 11 Gilberto • 13 Stalteri • 14 Modrić • 15 Ghaly • 16 Gunter • 17 Giovani • 18 Campbell • 19 Taarabt • 20 Dawson • 21 César • 22 Ćorluka • 23 Boateng • 24 O'Hara • 26 King • 27 Alnwick • 32 Assou-Ekotto • 33 Rocha • 39 Woodgate • Manager: Redknapp
Persondata
NAME Bale, Gareth Frank
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bale, Gareth
SHORT DESCRIPTION Welsh footballer
DATE OF BIRTH 16 July 1989
PLACE OF BIRTH Cardiff, Wales
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH