10 Things You Didn’t Know About Gareth Bale

The world’s most expensive footballer, a man who plays for one of the best teams in Spanish league, the giants Real Madrid. He’s no stranger to celebrity or column inches as a result, Gareth Bale is one of the most famous footballers on the planet. Here are 10 things you didn’t know about Gareth Bale.

1. Gareth Bale made his Wales debut on May 27 2006 as a 55th minute substitute against Trinidad & Tobago at the Liebherr GAK Stadium in Graz, Austria as part of the Soca Warrior’s World Cup warm-up.

2. Bale’s first taste of international football came after just 180 minutes of senior football having made his Football League debut for Southampton only 40 days earlier. Aged 16 and 245 days, Bale played in a 2-0 win over Millwall at St Mary’s Stadium.

3. Bale could have played for England but said he never wanted to play for anyone but Wales and that the English FA did not contact him personally to try and persuade him otherwise. “My grandmother is from England so I had the choice, but I’m from Wales and proud to be so.”

4. Bale scored on his first competitive game on Welsh soil, his third cap against Slovakia seeing him score a brilliant free-kick that made him Wales’ youngest ever scorer – a record he still holds.

5. Bale scored on his first competitive game on Welsh soil, his third cap against Slovakia seeing him score a brilliant free-kick that made him Wales’ youngest ever scorer – a record he still holds. It wasn’t enough to stop John Toshack’s team going down 5-1.

6. He has trademarked both his heart celebration – dedicated to girlfriend and fellow former Whitchurch High pupil Emma Rhys-Jones – and his now iconic 11 shirt with the Intellectual Property Office in May 2013.

7. Bale is tee-total after claiming he doesn’t like the taste of alcoholic drinks. He says: “I just don’t like drink, to be honest. It’s not the fact that I choose not to drink alcohol. I just don’t like the taste of it. “I’ve obviously tasted it, but I just don’t like it so it doesn’t do anything for me to be honest.”

8. His big passion outside of football is golf and he is an avid player, dropping his handicap from 13 before his move to Real to a single-figure 8. He has played the iconic US Open course at Pebble Beach.

9. He was officially declared the fastest player in the world after a Fifa-endorsed study by Mexican club Pachuca after clocking a top speed of almost 23mph (26.9km/h) with the ball at his feet. It is of no surprise having run the 100 metres in 11.4 seconds as a 14-year-old schoolboy.

10. Bale became the second player to win the PFA Player of the Year, the PFA Young Player of the Year and the Football Writers Player of the Year in 2013. The other? Future Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. Bale’s vote for the 2012/13 season went to Carlos Tevez.