Gareth Bale is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Real Madrid. He’s been named the Welsh Footballer of the Year a record six times. He’s also known for his skills as a free-kick taker.
Gareth Bale is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Real Madrid. He’s been named the Welsh Footballer of the Year a record six times. He’s also known for his skills as a free-kick taker.
Career
The Welsh athlete is most known for his time playing with Real Madrid, where he has been on the roster since 2013.
For the 2020-21 season, Bale was sent on loan to London Premier League squad Tottenham Hotspur, where Bale played in the years before he moved to Madrid (2007-2013).
Bale’s year-long loan is winding to a close. Though he’s set to return to Madrid, there’s been speculation the London club could make a long-term play for the winger. In 29 appearances, Bale scored a total of 11 goals.
Though less than his usual total with Los Blancos, Bale helped the Spurs keep up with the higher number of goals in the 2020-21 season recorded in the Premier League.
According to BBC Sport, the first 38 games of the season generated a total of 144 goals. With pressure higher for Tottenham to keep up with the rise in goal count, whoever is at the helm next season may be motivated to fight for Bale—especially after netting a hat-trick in a recent match against Sheffield United.
However, the winger hasn’t yet declared his intentions whether to return to La Liga or fight to stay in the Premier League.
Most likely, Bale will push to stay in the Premier League. In 2018, Real Madrid hired head coach Zinedine Zidane to lead the team. Since then, Bale has seen less and less playing time before being put out on loan to Tottenham this past year.
Disputes between Zidane and Bale have led to further issues between Florentino Perez, president of Real Madrid, and Bale. At the moment, Bale’s player transfer fee could be prohibitive.
Family & Bio
Gareth Bale was born in Cardiff, Wales in 1989. Prior to settling on football, he played a range of other sports with great success, including rugby, hockey, and athletics.
Like other Premier League footballers, from Liverpool midfielder and captain Jordan Henderson to teammate Harry Kane, staying with a local team at the beginning of his career was a top priority. However, his chances in Cardiff were limited, and Bale had to move to Southampton to earn his big break.
Bale has been in a long-term relationship with his high school sweetheart, Emma Rhys-Jones. The couple has three children together. They reside in Madrid but travel back to Wales often.
Salary & Net Worth
Gareth Bale’s net worth is $145 million with an annual salary of $33 million. His current contract with Real Madrid has the winger locked in with Los Blancos until 2022—though, as mentioned above, this could be altered early to let Bale rejoin Tottenham officially.
His current salary with Madrid makes Bale one of the highest-paid football players in the world.
Because of Bale’s global fame as a premier footballer, he’s been endorsed by lucrative brands. It’s estimated that he earns up to an additional $9 million each year from his sponsorship deals.
In the world of professional football, he’s been sponsored by brands like Adidas, EA Sports, and BT Sport.
In terms of endorsements, he’s worked closely with Adidas to promote boots like the Adidas F50 and Adidas X15 lines.
His sponsored posts on Instagram can net the star up to $185,000 per post. Endorsements like these helped Bale pull in more money via private deals than via football in the year 2014. Only two years later, ESPN named Bale the no. 12 most famous athlete in the world.
Throughout his career, Bale has helped Madrid take home two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey title, one Supercopa de España title, and three FIFA Club World Cup titles.
Additionally, he’s also take home four UEFA Champions League titles and two UEFA Super Cup titles (all with Real Madrid).
Additionally, Bale has also played for the Wales National Team throughout his life. To date, he’s made 90 appearances and scored 33 goals for his national team.
