Player Watch: Gareth Bale - Retires

[crokey]

There's about 15 goals from that season that are just imprinted in my memory that I'll never forget. What a joy to watch Spurs it was when Gareth was on the teamsheet.

Good luck to him, would love to see him get there with his golf too, just to stick it to all the pricks

 

[Wick3d]

That winner against West Ham is the one that always sticks out for me. Fucking loved that goal. IThe best assist for it ever as well.

 

[dtxspurs]

That winner against West Ham is the one that always sticks out for me. Fucking loved that goal. IThe best assist for it ever as well.

That goal made me become a Spurs fan.

 

[Erm33]

My favourite player full stop.

When he was on it he was completely unstoppable and unplayable. We've been lucky to have some really top class players over the years, but he was just something on a completely different level.

Memories that'll live with almost all of us til the day we die.

Thank you Gareth Bale.

 

[XIIIMPC]

Son lw Kane bale rw. Eriksen, hoddle, dembele

I had Modric and Dembele in midfield and a back 3.

 

[HarryKane]

He's one of the best players this club's ever had and at his best has a shout of being the third best player in the world after Messi and Ronaldo. A disgusting combination of technical ability and truly freak of nature athleticism, being one of the fastest and most explosive players anyone will ever see with a high work rate, making lung busting runs from the first to the last minute early on in his career. He single handedly carried this club to wins in 12/13 against teams set up solely to stop him, being a one man army on a level no other player at this club has matched in the modern era. That is still the best individual season any player's had at this club that I've seen in the last 30 years, given how poor the rest of the team were and still he dragged the club to 5th place and 1 point off 4th. He spearheaded the most successful period of Welsh football in history, qualifying for their first 2 European Championships ever (2016, 2020) finishing third in 2016, then in 2022 qualifying for their first and only other world cup since 1958. He is one of the most decorated players at club level of all time, winning 5 European cups and only 4 clubs in history can say they've bettered that. He has consistently conjured moments of magic, having some of the best games and scoring some of the most iconic goals you will ever see at the highest levels of the sport, like vs Inter in 2010, that goal vs Barca in the Copa del Rey and that bicycle kick in the CL final. Even after half a decade of injuries, losing pace, trust in his body and taking half a season to get match fit he was arguably the best player for the club in that second half of the season, being consistently good February onwards. He also managed to piss off one of the most entitled fanbases out there, barely playing for years all the while earning 600k/w to play a few rounds of golf then showing up in form for his country like this club football thing is all a bit beneath him

The man is an icon for club and country, a legend of the sport and it was a privilege to watch him at the peak of his powers. Not bad for a lad from Cardiff

 

[Gilzean at the near post]

I was lucky enough to watch him start as a young nervous coltish fullback who morphed into an unbelievable winger/striker for our club

He was so exciting to watch and just had that 'je ne sais quoi' that the truly special players have. The pace, power, left foot, feint, heading and ball striking were all exceptional.

My regret is that he didn't play for Spurs for longer or played in the Poch side. Also that Mourinho was risk averse and we rarely saw him alongside Kane and Son a couple of years ago which was fleetingly so much fun to watch

Alongside Hoddle he would be the best player I've seen at Spurs since starting my support in the late 60's

Thanks for the memories Gareth and all the best for the future

 

[aussiespursguy]

What a player. What a career. We were so lucky to have had him and dare I say it develop him into the player he became.
72 Goals for Spurs and some of the best outside the box shooting you will ever see.
I hope the club are working to get him back for a proper thankyou at the club and the supporters get to thank him properly.
Thankyou Gareth for so many amazing moments.

 

[max cady]

He would be in my top 10 greatest Spurs players but I don't see him in my top 3. Great player for club and certainly a legend for Wales.

 

[Phantom]

I thought he would carry on one more year in MLS and see how things were before maybe thinking about the Euros. Not sure if injuries played a role in this or not but it felt like he had some time left.

 

[Trix]

Seems too young to retire, but i guess injuries taken their toll so can't be the explosive player he was...He did it all though, so no regrets i'm sure....just wish he'd got a proper trophy with Spurs (not sure he'd count '08)

I'm surprised he was persuaded to even signed up in the MLS if I'm honest. He has had no interest in club football for a while.

 

[cjbyid]

This thread around the time he came back/the whole transfer saga to tracking his plane was probably one of the best things I've experienced on this site

 

[Dave1882]

I'm surprised he was persuaded to even signed up in the MLS if I'm honest. He has had no interest in club football for a while.

Kept fit for Wales WC and got to hang out in LA for a couple of months, whilst coining it. Not a bad way to go out

 

[THFCSPURS19]

As others have said, probably my favourite ever Spurs player. I worshipped him in 12/13 as a wee 14-year old, and was absolutely devastated when he left, even though I knew it was coming. I then watched loads of Madrid games solely to watch him, and actively celebrated like mad when he scored the winner in the 2014 CL Final. I read and re-read every interview where he mentioned how much he still loved Spurs, and dreamt he would come back one day. When he did, I was absolutely ecstatic. It is a fucking travesty he never got to play in front of our fans again, and criminal that Mourinho didn't play him way more.

 

[ralphs bald spot]

Bale Ginola or Waddle put a cigarette paper between them wouldn't mind having one of them in the team now - great player Bale did the simple things really well much like when Waddle left if they had stayed I reckon he would have won us the League the next season he was so good at that time

 

[ILS]

I'm surprised he was persuaded to even signed up in the MLS if I'm honest. He has had no interest in club football for a while.

I believe it was a lifestyle choice going out to the states. We saw his Wife and eldest daughter in Disneyland Anaheim back in October with what I would assume was other members of their family and they appeared to be having the time of their lives.

The family weren't being bothered as no one knew who they were apart from this loser. He has always come across as quite a private person so I would be surprised if they didn't continue to have a base from LA going forward.

 

[southlondonyiddo]

Kept for for Wales WC and got to hang out in LA for a couple of months, whilst coining it. Not a bad way to go out

Not to mention the weather & golf courses!!

 

[Hoopspur]

Son lw Kane bale rw. Eriksen, hoddle, dembele

Oh such a youngster….

 

[FrankSpencer]

I was lucky enough to be in the San Siro the night of his second half hatrick. Truly phenomenal.

What a player. What a career.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Incredible player and career, some amazing memorable moments for us, the goals against Inter Milan, the NLD goals and the screamer against West Ham to name a few.

Won it all for Madrid but had a rough ride and seemed to lose his love for the game.

Not particularly a huge fan of Bale as a person, just doesn’t come across as particularly warm or likeable but as a player he was one of the very best we’ve ever had and would be in most best ever Spurs XI’s I reckon.

Good luck to him on his golf career from now on.