The phrase “conflicted feelings” must have been created for this players’ career. After 17 years with four different top-flight clubs, Gareth Bale has finally called it a career, ending one of the most remarkable and controversial rises in the world of football to date.
When the name Gareth Bale is mentioned, it really depends where one says it for the reaction to it.
If you go to the US, Tottenham, Southampton, and certainly anywhere in Wales, Gareth Bale will be treated and respected like a legend of the sport as his numerous goals, assists, and many, many winners’ medals would tell you.
Reversely, if you head to Madrid or certain media headquarters (cough…ESPN FC…cough), Gareth Bale will be reviled as a washed-up, has-been mercenary that cared more about his wages and personal glory than the success of the teams that paid him.
And, to a certain extent, both of these viewpoints are true.
As for the being called a legend, how else could you actually describe what Gareth bale has done? He’s scored 186 club goals, 41 international goals for Wales, 227 total career goals, he has 137 assists, and he’s scored some of the most famous goals in the history of the club’s he has played for.
Just to name a few: 2014 Copa Del Rey Final goal vs. Barcelona for Real Madid, 2012 Champions League Group Stage goal vs. Inter for Tottenham, 2022 World Cup Qualifying goal vs. Austria for Wales, 2022 MLS Cup goal vs. Philadelphia Union, and 2019 Champions League Final goal vs. Liverpool for Real Madrid. Apart from his time at Southhampton where he was played as a fullback, he’s been a clutch goalscoring machine all throughout his career.
Now, all of those goalscoring stats would be meaningless if he was not winning the major trophies.
Yet, that’s not something even Bale’s harshest critics as he’s a 3X La Liga winner, 3X Spanish Super Cup Winner, 1X Spanish Cup Winner, 4X UEFA Supercup Winner, 1X MLS Cup Winner, 1X MLS Supporter’s Shield Winner, 1X EFL Cup Winner, 6X World Footballer of the Year for Wales, brought Wales to the 2016 Euro Semi-Finals and first World Cup appearance since 1958, and is a 5X Champions League winner.
Yes, out of all of those great accomplishments, Gareth Bale won the 2008 EFL Cup for Tottenham. You know the guy is a bonified winner if he can win with Spurs of all teams.
However, as for those who say he’s nothing but a money-sucking, lazy footballer that cares more about himself than his team, they kind of have a case with how Gareth Bale’s career ended. In his final two seasons at Real Madrid, he only played in 21 La Liga games and 2 Champions League games as he was essentially frozen out by Carlo Ancelotti due to his unwavering stubbornness over being asked to leave.
Obviously, if I had a €150M contract and was employed by one of the Top-5 biggest clubs ever, I wouldn’t want to leave either. But, with the relationship between the Madrid fans and Bale becoming irrevocable broken with both sides’ constant provocations and digs, Bale should have left behind the money and transferred to a club that would actually play him.
Thus, when Bale eventually did move to Los Angeles FC in the MLS after his contract expired last summer, his body was too broken to play more than just over a dozen games for the club.
So, in my humble opinion, I do think it’s fair to say that Bale wasted a good three years of his career over greed and stubbornness.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t take away from the fact that he will always be seen as the greatest Welsh player and one of the greatest Bristish players of all-time.
Enjoy retirement and golf, Gareth, you have more than earned it.
Images Source: Featured Image: (Wikimedia Creative Commons License/Author: Дмитрий Журавель)(Football.ua, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons)
