5 reasons why we love Gareth Bale

One of the best players of his generation

The Welsh Wizard. The one with a left foot to die for. A legend on the wing. Gareth Bale is truly a once in a lifetime footballer.

From humble beginnings at Southampton, starting off as a young, raw left-back, he developed into a truly world-class left-back at Tottenham, under the tutelage of Harry Redknapp. He took his attacking game to the next level under Andre Villas-Boas before securing a then world-record move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2013.

Bale has given fans so much to cheer about and while he may be slightly injury-prone, there is no doubt that he is a vital part of Madrid’s setup and will continue to be so for many more years. 

While he is already playing for one of the biggest (if not the biggest) clubs in the world, he is loved by fans all over for a variety of reasons. We delve into the Welshman’s journey as a footballer and figure out five reasons why fans absolutely love the pacy winger:

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#1 Iconic hat-trick at an iconic stadium

A young Bale ripped apart the Inter defence

When Bale was a raw developing left-back at Southampton, he was one of the fastest teenagers in the country. His coaches recognised this attribute and helped him harness it as a defender. During his days as a marauding left-back at Spurs, he took the world by storm at the age of just 21 by scoring a second-half hat-trick against Inter Milan, who then possessed two of the best right-backs in Maicon and the experienced Javier Zanetti on the side.

What transpired was a masterclass in attacking play from the then 21-year old Bale, who sprinted almost the entire length of the pitch to score two goals in almost identical fashion. He completed his hat-trick in the 90^th minute with another identical finish to the bottom corner and reduced a 4-0 deficit to get three vital away goals for his side.

In the fixture at White Hart Lane, Bale, spurred on from the reverse fixture, produced another blistering performance, laying off two goals as Spurs won 3-1. That was the day he announced himself to the world with his attacking attributes, which Redknapp, and later Villas-Boas, helped develop.