The newest Galatico: The story behind Bale’s Ballon d’Or nomination

Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale

Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale has been named on the 23-man shortlist for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award. The Welshman joins team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo and fellow La Liga stars Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Neymar on the list of nominations to be voted on by club captains, coaches and journalist from across Europe.

Major honours in calendar year:

The former Tottenham star will be one of the few nominated stars to have failed to win any silverware in 2013, having finished in fifth place in the Premier League before leaving for the bright lights of Madrid in the summer.

However, Bale did sweep the individual honours, claiming the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, the FWA Footballer of the Year, the PFA Young Player of the Year and was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

Quite a list of accolades and deservedly so, after the midfielder hit a sensational 21 goals in the Premier League in 2012/13 and recorded a Squawka Performance Score of 1630 for the campaign.

Key stats:

Bale was a powerhouse in terms of statistics for Tottenham, creating 75 chances in 33 games for the North London outfit and winning 73 per cent of his tackles – highlighting his extreme versatility.

Gareth Bale Goals Scored (Last Season)

And he’s already getting started for Real, with three goals and four assists in his first six games in La Liga, proving that he has the ability to match the likes of Ronaldo and Messi.

Gareth Bale Chances Created This Season

Why he deserves his nomination:

The Los Blancos star was the stand-out player in the Premier League last season and looks to already be justifying the incredible fee paid for him in the summer. On his day, there are very few who can stop a rampant Bale in full flight.

Does he have a chance of winning?

Probably not, although a case could be made for Bale’s nomination as a dark horse. But it looks set to be a head-to-head between Messi and Ronaldo for the prize. Again.