Gareth Bale Age, Height, Wife & Biography

Gareth Bale is a Welsh former professional footballer who became one of the most decorated British players of his generation. Born in Cardiff in 1989, the winger rose from Southampton’s academy to stardom at Tottenham Hotspur, before a world-record move to Real Madrid in 2013, where he won five UEFA Champions League titles. For Wales, he is the country’s record goalscorer and the captain who led the team to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 and to a first World Cup in 64 years.

Quick Facts

Who Is Gareth Bale?

Gareth Bale is widely considered one of the finest Welsh footballers of all time. A left-footed winger blessed with explosive pace, a powerful shot and a superb free kick, he built his reputation as a match-winner at the highest level of the game. At Tottenham Hotspur he was twice named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, in 2011 and 2013, and in his final season at the club he scored 26 goals in all competitions.

His move to Real Madrid in 2013 broke the world transfer record, and he went on to play 258 games for the Spanish club, scoring 106 goals and winning five Champions League titles. He scored the decisive goal in the 2014 Copa del Rey final against Barcelona and a spectacular overhead kick in the 2018 Champions League final against Liverpool. For Wales, he won 111 caps and scored 41 goals, a national record, and captained the side at Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup.

Early Life & Background

Gareth Frank Bale was born on 16 July 1989 in Cardiff, Wales. He grew up in the Whitchurch area of the city and attended Eglwys Newydd Primary School and Whitchurch High School, the same school attended by future Wales rugby captain Sam Warburton and cyclist Geraint Thomas. As a schoolboy he played football for Cardiff Civil Service, and he was also a talented sprinter, hockey player and rugby player.

Southampton spotted Bale when he was nine years old, and he joined the club’s academy. He left school at 16 to sign for the Saints, and he made his senior debut in April 2006, aged 16, against Millwall. In the summer of 2007 Tottenham Hotspur signed him for an initial fee of 5 million pounds.

Career

Bale’s early years at Tottenham were difficult. He started out as a left-back, and the team failed to win any of his first 24 league appearances. Under manager Harry Redknapp he was moved further forward, and his career took off. His famous hat-trick against Inter Milan at the San Siro in October 2010 announced him to Europe, and he was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2011. In the 2012-13 season he scored 26 goals, was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year for a second time, and also won the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award.

Real Madrid signed Bale in September 2013 for 85.3 million pounds, then a world-record fee. In his first season he scored the winning goal in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona after a famous sprint down the wing, and he also scored in the Champions League final as Real beat Atletico Madrid to win La Decima. He added further Champions League titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018, scoring twice in the 2018 final, including a stunning overhead kick, and he won La Liga three times. Injuries limited his playing time in his later years in Spain, and he spent the 2020-21 season back on loan at Tottenham, where he scored 16 goals.

Bale left Real Madrid in 2022 and joined Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer. He made an immediate impact, scoring a 128th-minute equaliser in the MLS Cup final against Philadelphia Union, which LAFC went on to win on penalties. In January 2023, aged 33, he announced his retirement from football. His Wales career had been just as remarkable: he made his debut in 2006 as the youngest player ever to represent Wales at the time, won 111 caps, scored a record 41 goals, and led the country to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 and to the 2022 World Cup, Wales’ first in 64 years. He was appointed MBE in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to football and charity.

Facts About Gareth Bale

• His transfer to Real Madrid in 2013 was a world-record fee at the time.
• He scored a famous overhead kick in the 2018 Champions League final against Liverpool.
• He is Wales’ all-time top scorer, with 41 goals in 111 appearances.
• As a 14-year-old schoolboy, he once ran the 100 metres in 11.4 seconds.
• After retiring from football, he played in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in 2023.

Frequently Asked Questions