The recent controversy over Gareth Bale ended on loan between Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, with both sides agreeing to Bale's return to England from Madrid. Since joining Real Madrid in 2013, Bale's career has been up and down as he went from being part of the much-hyped BBC duo to being snubbed by Zidane and his teammates. While some Real Madrid fans scoffed at Bale's departure, Marca reporter Alexis Sanchez defended Bale as deserving of Real Madrid's respect, calling him a hero rather than a sinner.
Therefore, this article will explore whether the Bale, who is disliked by Real Madrid fans, deserves to be among Real Madrid's most famous players?
Photo/Website: Great St. Bell
Looking back at the 2012/2013 season, Bale made 41 appearances, scoring 24 goals and registering 4 assists. Although he only won the Bronze Boot in the Premier League, his outstanding performance earned him the PFA Footballer of the Year, the Best Young Player Award and the FWA Footballer of the Year, making him the second player after Cairo to win all three awards. However, Tottenham Hotspur finished in fifth place in the Premier League and played in the UEFA Cup for the third consecutive year.
A popular player, Bale was rumored to join a higher level team in the summer of 2013. His agent even told the team in July that he wanted to start a conversation with the Spanish giants. Despite Tottenham Hotspur's efforts to block the move and manager Andre Villas-Boas' displeasure, the two sides eventually reached an agreement. Bale's arrival also prompted players such as Ozil, Kaka and Iguana to leave Real Madrid. Although the transfer fee has not been made public, according to media reports, the transfer fee is about 91 million euros, and may even be as high as 100 million euros, refreshing the 94 million euros transfer fee record set by Cristiano Ronaldo. on September 1, 2013, Bale officially became a member of Real Madrid.
Picture/website: "200 million double flights" back in the day.
Next, we will explore Bale's performance in the last 8 years at Real Madrid using statistics and information. Since his first substitute appearance on September 14, 2013, Bale has made 251 appearances for Real Madrid, logging 17,973 minutes, scoring 105 goals and contributing 68 assists. In Real Madrid's history, Bale ranks 38th in appearances and 15th in total goals, behind Cristiano Ronaldo (450), Benzema (249) and Iguaín (121).
According to Transfer Market and WHOSCORED, Bale made 44 and 48 appearances in the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 seasons respectively. In the 2013/2014 season, Bale formed a BBC combination with C Ronaldo and Benzema and became the key player of the team. In the Champions League final, Bale scored a crucial goal to help Real Madrid win their tenth Champions League title (La Decima) after thirteen years. In addition, in the final of the Copa del Rey, Bale played in the stalemate between the two teams in the moment of the kill, to help Real Madrid realize the double.
In the 2013/2014 season, Bale scored 22 goals and contributed 19 assists, with an average rating of 7.75, second on the team behind Cristiano Ronaldo's 8.27.
By the 2014/2015 season, Bale was still performing well despite a slightly lower average rating than the previous season. He helped Real Madrid win the UEFA Super Cup and the World Club Cup, realizing the 4 crowns of 2014. In the UEFA Super Cup, Bale assisted Cristiano Ronaldo's goal to help his team beat Sevilla 2-1. In the World Club Cup, Bale scored in both the semifinals and the final, leading his team to the top of the world by defeating the North and South American champions.
