“Gareth Bale is a very special person. He’s probably the best and most influential Welsh player to ever wear the red shirt. All he needs is the dragon on his chest. He made the nation’s dreams come true, and Wales’ debt to him for what he’s done is enormous. He stands here before scoring our opening goal in the Euros, and who better than him to score that goal?”
Owain Fôn Williams
Full Name: Gareth Frank Bale
Date of Birth: 16 July 1989
Place of birth: Cardiff, Wales
Height: 1.86m
Position: Winger
Football Clubs: Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Los Angeles FC
Number of caps for the Welsh national football team: 111
Number of goals for Wales: 41
| Gareth Bale attended Whitchurch Primary School and Whitchurch High School in Cardiff. |
| Whilst in secondary school, Gareth Bale loved playing sports of all kinds, not only football. He was an excellent rugby and hockey player, and a superb athlete. When he was 14 years old he ran 100 metres in 11.4 seconds. |
| On 17 April 2006, when he was 16 years and 275 days old, Gareth Bale was the second youngest player ever to play for the Southampton first team. |
| Gareth Bale played his first match for the Wales national football team on 27 May 2006, when he was 16 years and 315 days old. At the time he was the youngest person to do so. |
| Gareth Bale played for Real Madrid for nine years, between 2013 and 2022. During that period, Real Madrid won a number of major awards, including three La Liga titles and five Champions League titles. |
| Gareth Bale won 111 caps for the Wales national football team, scoring 41 goals in total. He has played more games and scored more goals than any other Welsh player. |
| Gareth Bale was the Wales national football team captain during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022. He scored Wales’ only goal in the tournament. |
| On 9 January 2023, after playing his last match for Wales against England in the FIFA World Cup 2022, Gareth Bale announced that he was retiring from international football. |
| Since retiring from professional football, Gareth Bale has been enjoying his free time playing golf. |
Items that are relevant to history of Wales' football teams
Browse a selection of sports clips from the Wales Broadcast Archive
Discover more about famous Welsh people from the past.