Gareth Frank Bale was born in Cardiff, 16 July 1989, to parents Frank, a school caretaker, and Debbie, an operations manager. He attended Eglwys Newydd Primary School at Whitchurch. He is the nephew of former Cardiff City footballer Chris Pike. It was while at this school he first came to the attention of Southampton at nine years old, when he was playing in a six-a-side tournament with his first club, Cardiff Civil Service Football Club. Growing up his football hero was fellow Welshman and Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs.
Bale then attended Whitchurch High School in Cardiff, where, as well as football, he played rugby and hockey and was a distance runner. As a 14 year old he ran the 100 metre sprint in 11.4 seconds. Because of his superior skills, the school's PE teacher, Gwyn Morris, had to write special rules. These restricted Bale to playing one-touch football and not using his left foot. Whilst at Whitchurch, Bale trained at Southampton's satellite academy in Bath, although there was initially some doubt if Southampton would give him a scholarship due to his height.
Despite being only 16 at the time, he helped the school's under-18 side win the Cardiff & Vale Senior Cup. He left school in the summer of 2005 with a Grade A in PE amongst his GCSE results. In his final year at school, he was awarded the PE department's prize for services to sport.
On 17 April 2006, at the age of 16 years and 275 days, Bale became the second youngest player ever to play for Southampton (after Theo Walcott, who was 132 days younger) when he made his debut in the Saints' 2-0 victory against Millwall. On 6 August, Bale scored his first league goal, a free kick, to level the score at 1–1 against Derby County. Bale further developed his reputation as a free kick.
Bale was selected by Wales at the end of the 2005–06 season and made his international debut on 27 May 2006. He first appeared as a substitute in a 2–1 win over Trinidad and Tobago, making him the youngest ever player to play for Wales.Bale, who was just 16 years and 315 days, assisted the winning goal scored by Robert Earnshaw. On 7 October 2006, Bale became the youngest player ever to score a goal for the full Welsh national team in the Euro 2008 qualification match against Slovakia with a trademark free kick.
In December 2006, he won the Carwyn James Award for the BBC Wales Young Sports Personality of the Year, and was named the Football League Young Player of the Year on 4 March 2007.
On 25 May 2007, Bale signed a four-year deal with Tottenham Hotspur with Spurs paying an initial £5 million for Bale, potentially rising to £10 million based on appearances and success. He played his first game for Spurs in a friendly against St. Patrick's Athletic on 12 July 2007, but was substituted on the 80th minute with a minor dead-leg. He made his competitive debut for Tottenham Hotspur on 26 August away against Manchester United. In just his second Spurs appearance.
On 20 October, Bale scored his first senior hat trick against European champions Internazionale at the San Siro in the Champions League. Tottenham lost the match 4–3. It made his name bounced and Become the target of many big European clubs to recruit.
On 18 April 2011, Bale has been named as the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year.
On 18 April 2011, Bale has been named as the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year.
Based on the Source, this is the Bale :
Strengths: Excellent going forwards, with a goal-scoring touch. He can deliver a great cross on the run and he is also a free-kick specialist.
Weaknesses: Looks so unschooled in the arts of defending that he now plays predominantly as a left winger.
Player Information :
Full name : Gareth Frank Bale
Date of birth : 16 July 1989
Place of birth : Cardiff, Wales
Nationality : Wales
Height : 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight : 74 kg
Playing position : Left winger / Left wingback
Club Career : Totenham Hotspurs (2007-present), Southampton (2006-2007)International Caps : 27 (3)
Reference :
