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Sir[1]
MadSproute
MadSproute
Born
.

1982
Wales, United Kingdom
NationalityWelsh
Other namesIvs, Benj, Robaich, The Albanian Farmer, Izzy
CitizenshipBritish
Education
Alma materUniversity of Wales Bangor (dropped out in 2006)
Occupations
Years active1989-
Organizations
Known forGaming, Editing and stuff.
Height175 cm (5 ft 9 in) OR 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Titleit's him, the
Term1
Predecessor2
Successor3
Spouse(s)Lydia of Whiterun
(4E 201-4E 203 Deceased)
Partner(s)Aela the Huntress
(4E 203-4E 204)
Parents
  • Dad
  • Mam
Relatives
  • Onshore
    Brother
  • Eirian
    Sister
  • Dawn
    Sister
Call signMadSproute

MadSproute (born With a traditional name; 1982) is a Welsh person, that has been know to partake in a multitude of activities, including Chef work, Gaming, Barman, being a Wikipedian, working as a Postal Worker and generally having fun on the Internet. Known for his debonair demeanour and "dashing good looks" is not one sentence you would hear to describe him, yet if you did he would be humbled.

This profile project is a tool to achieve two things. One to allow me with easy access to coding that I use on a regular basis in my hobby if being a 'Wikipedian and the second is to see what an actual Wikipedia page about myself would look like. In the en-devour I hope to show a different approach to a Social Profile, which would allow you the viewer with something a little more amusing.

The information below is collected from a number of computer games that I have created a MadSproute or Ifor online profile. It is my attempt to produce a profile that you will find amusing and also evoke memories of your own personal achievements in the Virtual World. Please enjoy.

Early life and family

MadSproute was born in 1982 in Wales, UK, the son of his father, a former Monk, Spy and Telephonist and Mam (née Loginova), a Woman. He was raised in the Methodist religion. He identifies as Human. MadSproute studied in a school.

Tamriel

Professional wrestling career

MadSproute
MadSproute
Birth name.
Born1982
Parts Unknown
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)MadSproute
The Reaper
Jeff
The something something
Billed height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Billed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Billed fromParts Unknown
Debut2005
Retired2020

MadSproute (born 1982) better known by ring names MadSproute and The Reaper, is an British professional wrestler. He has previously worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/WWE), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Lucha Underground (LU) and Nación Lucha Libre.

Early career (2000–2005)

2000

Main article: WWF SmackDown! (video game)

2001

Main article: WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role

2002

2003

2004

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2005–2020)

Football career

Main articles: Championship Manager 93/94 and Championship Manager: Season 01/02
MadSproute
Sproute in 2014
Personal information
Full name MadSproute
Date of birth 1982
Place of birth Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s) Midfielder, Forward
Team information
Current team
 Bangor City (manager)
Youth career
1993–2001 Glan-y-Coed
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2003 Bangor City 42 (5)
2001-2002 → Queen's Park (loan) 18 (6)
2003–2007 Notts County 28 (4)
2007-2008 → Bayern Munich (loan) 18 (6)
2009 Santos 32 (7)
2010–2011 AJ Auxerre 95 (25)
2011–2015 Liverpool 52 (2)
2015 Santos 18 (1)
2015-2016 Juventus 50 (6)
2016–2018 Barcelona 50 (6)
2018–2019 Toronto FC 50 (6)
2019–2020 Blackburn Rovers 50 (6)
Total 606 (164)
International career
2001–2003 Wales U21 7 (1)
2003 Wales 1 (1)
Managerial career
2001–2003 Bangor City
2003– Notts County
2008–2009 Manchester City
2010–2011 Fulham
2012 Queens Park Rangers
2013– Wales
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Bangor City

Sent for rehabilitation on 17th Aug 2002 after the Physio noticed he was carrying a calf strain.

During the 2000–01 League of Wales, Bangor City finished in 14th position. With Meirion Appleton departing at the end of the season, paithing the way for Sproute to take control of the North Welsh club.

Sproute's first task as manager of the club was to strengthen the Back room staff, with his first four signings being; Gordan Banks as Goalkeeper Coach, Barry Horne as a Player/Coach, Rüdiger Vollborn as a Player/Coach and Ian Rush as a Scout.

Sproute would then go on the strengthen the squad, making a number of free transfers, due to the lack of transfer funds the club had to offer.

2001–02

Made competative debut against Newtown A.F.C. at home in 2 all draw on Sat 18th Aug 2001. Scored first goal for Bangor against Aberystwyth Town F.C. on Sat Dec 15th 2001 at home in a 7 goal thriller. Slater scores for Aber in 5th minute, McKae equalised in 15th, Barry Horne made it 2 - 1 on the 18th. Morgan scores two for Aber in the second half to put them 3 - 2 ahead. Marc Lloyd-Williams eqaulises in the 80th and Peter Davenport scored the winner in the 85th. McKae, Horne and

2002–03

UEFA Champions League

Main article: 2002–03 UEFA Champions League

Bangor won the league in 2002 Qualified for CHampions League 1st Qual. Qualified to Group Stage

10 July 2002 (2002-07-10) 1st qual rd. 1st leg Bangor City Wales 2 – 1 Liechtenstein USV Eschen/Mauren Bangor, Wales
19:45 BST (UTC+02:00) Davies Yellow card 5' 84'
Burgess Yellow card 56'
Roberts 67'		 Report 19' Maaẞ
Yellow card 90' Loboué		 Stadium: Farrar Road Stadium
Attendance: 1,452
Referee: Peter Ekström (Sweden)
Assistant referees: Dario García (Sweden)
Assistant referees: Rodolfo Otero (Sweden)
Fourth official: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Sweden)
Fifth official: Victoriano Giraldez Carrasco (Sweden)
Man of the Match: Lothar Zeiler
10 July 2002 (2002-07-10) 1st qual rd. 2nd leg USV Eschen/Mauren Liechtenstein 0 – 4
(1 – 6 agg.)		 Wales Bangor City Eschen, Liechtenstein
19:45 BST (UTC+02:00) Report 22', 58' Roberts
34', 49' Griffiths		 Stadium: Sportpark Eschen-Mauren
Attendance: 1,576
Referee: Nicolai Vollquartz (Danish)
Assistant referees: Nicolai Vollquartz (Danish)
Assistant referees: Rodolfo Otero (Sweden)
Fourth official: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Sweden)
Fifth official: Victoriano Giraldez Carrasco (Sweden)
Man of the Match: Paul Roberts
24 July 2002 (2002-07-24) 2nd qual rd. 1st leg Steaua București Romania 1 – 0 Wales Bangor City Bucharest, Romania
19:45 BST (UTC+02:00) Tănase Yellow card 49'
Răducanu 54'		 Report Yellow card 47' Blackmore
Yellow card 72' Griffiths		 Stadium: Ghencea
Attendance: 24,156
Referee: Michael Jehle (Liechtenstein)
Assistant referees: Dario García (Sweden)
Assistant referees: Rodolfo Otero (Sweden)
Fourth official: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Sweden)
Fifth official: Victoriano Giraldez Carrasco (Sweden)
Man of the Match: Claudiu Răducanu
10 July 2002 (2002-07-10) 2nd qual rd. 2nd leg Bangor City Wales 3 – 0 (a.e.t.)
(3 – 1 agg.)		 Romania Steaua București Bangor, Wales
19:45 BST (UTC+02:00) Davies Yellow card 5' 84'
Burgess Yellow card 56'
Roberts 67'		 Report 19' Maaẞ
Yellow card 90' Loboué		 Stadium: Farrar Road Stadium
Attendance: 1,257
Referee: Peter Ekström (Sweden)
Assistant referees: Dario García (Sweden)
Assistant referees: Rodolfo Otero (Sweden)
Fourth official: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Sweden)
Fifth official: Victoriano Giraldez Carrasco (Sweden)
Man of the Match: Lothar Zeiler
7 August 2002 (2002-08-07) 3rd qual rd. 1st leg Bangor City Wales 2 – 1 Norway Lillestrøm Bangor, Wales
19:45 BST (UTC+02:00) Davies Yellow card 5' 84'
Burgess Yellow card 56'
Roberts 67'		 Report 19' Maaẞ
Yellow card 90' Loboué		 Stadium: Farrar Road Stadium
Attendance: 1,298
Referee: Damien Hancock (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Dario García (Sweden)
Assistant referees: Rodolfo Otero (Sweden)
Fourth official: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Sweden)
Fifth official: Victoriano Giraldez Carrasco (Sweden)
Man of the Match: Lothar Zeiler
21 August 2002 (2002-08-21) 3rd qual rd. 2nd leg Lillestrøm Norway 3 – 3
(4 – 5 agg.)		 Wales Bangor City Lillestrøm, Norway
19:45 BST (UTC+02:00) Davies Yellow card 5' 84'
Burgess Yellow card 56'
Roberts 67'		 Report 19' Maaẞ
Yellow card 90' Loboué		 Stadium: Åråsen Stadion
Attendance: 1,452
Referee: Peter Ekström (Sweden)
Assistant referees: Nicolai Vollquartz (Danish)
Assistant referees: Rodolfo Otero (Sweden)
Fourth official: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Sweden)
Fifth official: Victoriano Giraldez Carrasco (Sweden)
Man of the Match: Lothar Zeiler

Group stage

Main article: 2002–03 UEFA Champions League group stage § Group H
Arsenal greet their fans before their game at Auxerre, October 2, 2002

Arsenal were drawn in Group A, along with German club Borussia Dortmund, Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven and French side Auxerre.[7] A deflected goal by Bergkamp and a counterattack, finished off by Ljungberg on his comeback from injury gave Arsenal the perfect start in the group stages, at home to Borussia Dortmund.[8] At the Philips Stadion, Arsenal produced an impressive display against PSV, winning 4–0.[9] It was their first win in European football away from home in 19 months[9] and the match set a new club record, as Gilberto scored the fastest goal in the competition at 20.07 seconds.[10]

Against Auxerre, Gilberto scored for the second successive matchday to take Arsenal to nine points, but goals from Olivier Kapo and Khalilou Fadiga in the return game inflicted Arsenal's first defeat in the Champions League.[11] In spite of taking the lead against Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 5, Arsenal conceded two goals to lose 2–1.[12] A fourth straight defeat represented the club's worst run in 19 years[12] but with PSV beating Auxerre, Arsenal qualified for the second group stage with a game to spare – that match ending in a 0–0 draw against PSV.[13]

Group H
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
England Manchester United 6 3 2 1 8 3 +3 11
Wales Bangor City 6 2 4 0 7 5 +2 10
France Lille 6 1 3 2 5 8 −3 6
Netherlands Feyenoord 6 0 3 3 2 6 −4 3
17 September 2002 (2002-09-17) 1 Arsenal England 2–0 Germany Borussia Dortmund London, England
20:45 CEST Bergkamp 62'
Ljungberg 77'		 Report Yellow card 14' Dedê Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 34,907
Referee: Anders Frisk (Sweden)
25 September 2002 (2002-09-25) 2 PSV Eindhoven Netherlands 0–4 England Arsenal Eindhoven, Netherlands
20:45 CEST Ooijer Yellow card 20'
Vennegoor of Hesselink Yellow card 55'		 Report 1' Gilberto Silva
Yellow card 34' Lauren
66' Ljungberg
81', 90+2' Henry		 Stadium: Philips Stadion
Attendance: 24,000
Referee: Ľuboš Micheľ (Slovakia)
2 October 2002 (2002-10-02) 3 Auxerre France 0–1 England Arsenal Auxerre, France
20:45 CEST Jaurès Yellow card 77' Report 48' Gilberto Stadium: Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps
Attendance: 21,000
Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)
22 October 2002 (2002-10-22) 4 Arsenal England 1–2 France Auxerre London, England
20:45 CET Kanu 53'
Campbell Yellow card 68'
Vieira Yellow card 87'		 Report 8' Kapo
27' Fadiga
Yellow card 42' Boumsong
Yellow card 56' Faye		 Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 35,206
Referee: Domenico Messina (Italy)
30 October 2002 (2002-10-30) 5 Borussia Dortmund Germany 2–1 England Arsenal Dortmund, Germany
20:45 CET Rosický 38', 62' (pen.)
Reuter Yellow card 77'		 Report 18' Henry Stadium: Westfalenstadion
Attendance: 52,000
Referee: Manuel Mejuto González (Spain)
12 November 2002 (2002-11-12) 6 Arsenal England 0–0 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven London, England
20:45 CET Yellow card 29' Red card 35' Touré Report Yellow card 25' Vogel
Yellow card 45+1' Ooijer
Yellow card 65' Hofland
Yellow card 90' Vennegoor of Hesselink
Yellow card 90+2' van Bommel		 Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 35,274
Referee: Tom Henning Øvrebø (Norway)


Semi Final

7 May 2003 (2003-05-07) Semi–final 2nd leg Bangor City Wales 2 – 2 (a.e.t.)
(5–3 p)		 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven Bangor, Wales
20:00 CEST (UTC+02:00) Griffiths 47'
McKae 49'		 Report Sagnol Yellow card 12'
Makélélé Yellow card 76'
Zidane 7' (pen.) Red card 110'
Malouda Yellow card 111'		 Stadium: Farrar Road
Attendance: 1,983
Referee: Horacio Elizondo (Argentina)
Assistant referees: Dario García (Argentina)
Assistant referees: Rodolfo Otero (Argentina)
Fourth official: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain)
Fifth official: Victoriano Giraldez Carrasco (Spain)
Man of the Match: Dennis Rommedahl
Penalties
Mercer soccer ball with check mark
Materazzi soccer ball with check mark
De Rossi soccer ball with check mark
Del Piero soccer ball with check mark
Grosso soccer ball with check mark		 soccer ball with check mark Wiltord
soccer ball with red X Trezeguet
soccer ball with check mark Abidal
soccer ball with check mark Sagnol

Final

2003 UEFA Champions League Final
Bangor City0 – 2Milan
Report 21' Donati
20' Mari
Attendance: 51,309
Referee: Félix Lucendo (Deganwy)
Bangor City
Milan
BANGOR CITY:
GK 1 England James Mercer
DMR 2 Republic of Ireland Stephen Gough
DML 3 Wales Clayton Blackmore
DC 4 Wales Ryan Green
DC 5 Wales Huw Griffiths
DMC 6 Wales Scott Williams (c)
MC 7 Wales Ifor Roberts
MC 8 Republic of Ireland Graham Brett
S 9 Wales Paul Roberts
FW 10 Wales Marc Lloyd Williams downward-facing red arrow 40'
MC 11 Wales Simon Davies
Substitutes:
MF 12 England Mark Smyth Yellow card 77' upward-facing green arrow 62'
MF 15 England Eddie Jebb upward-facing green arrow 75'
MF 9 Wales Sion Edwards upward-facing green arrow 75'
FW England Michael Jukes
GK Republic of Ireland Chris Oldfield
Manager:
Wales Ifor Roberts
MILAN:
GK 26 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Ljubo Kovacevic
DF 2 France Lilian Thuram
DF 13 Georgia (country) Kakhaber Kaladze
DF 3 Italy Paulo Maldini Yellow card 61'
DF 24 Denmark Martin Laursen downward-facing red arrow 50'
MF 15 Italy Massimo Donati
MF 32 Italy Christian Brocchi
FW 10 Portugal Rui Costa downward-facing red arrow 61'
MF 7 Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko
S 12 Spain José Mari
DF 27 Brazil Serginho
Substitutes:
MF 34 Turkey Ümit Davala
GK 18 Italy Christian Abbiati
MF 4 Italy Demetrio Albertini upward-facing green arrow 61'
FW 21 Italy Andrea Pirlo
DF 22 Romania Cosmin Contra upward-facing green arrow 50'
FW 11 Nigeria Aliyu
S 29 Italy Leonardo Susini
Manager:
Turkey Fatih Terim

MATCH OFFICIALS

MATCH RULES

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level.
  • Five named substitutes.
  • Maximum of three substitutions.

Notts County

Called up to Wales U21 again on Sep 20 2003

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.[15] However, Tottenham paid Southampton an early settlement payment of £2 million in 2008 to reduce the final fee to £7 million and allow the Saints the immediate cash that they desperately needed.[16]

2003–04

Bale in Spurs' line-up before a match against Chelsea

Bale 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, he scored his first goal for Tottenham in the 3–3 draw with Fulham on 1 September when he latched on to Robbie Keane's flick, charged down the left flank unopposed and coolly slotted past goalkeeper Antti Niemi.[17] Bale went on to score again against Arsenal in the North London derby, scoring a free kick inside the near post.[18] He then scored in the League Cup home tie against Middlesbrough,[19] making it three goals in four starts for the then 18-year-old.

Bale was substituted after sustaining an injury resulting from a tackle from Fabrice Muamba in the league fixture against Birmingham City on 2 December 2007. A scan revealed that Bale had suffered ligament damage to his right ankle, consigning him to an extended period on the sidelines. Bale had exploratory surgery on 11 December 2007.[20] By February 2008, it became clear that Bale was to miss the rest of the season through injury.[21] Sporting Director, Damien Comolli said, "Even if the examination reveals that Gareth's foot is stable, the decision has been taken to bring him back slowly to ensure he does not get a repeat of the injury or suffer any further damage. Gareth is obviously disappointed to be sidelined for this length of time but he is still young and we have to do what is best for him in the long run."[20]

Bale signed a new 4-year deal with the club in August 2008.[22] After some mediocre performances, Bale was dropped in favour of Benoît Assou-Ekotto and the latter remained first-choice for most of the season.[23]

2009–10

In June 2009, Bale underwent surgery for a knee injury, ruling him out for over 2 months. He missed pre-season matches and it was projected that he would miss the first few weeks of the 2009–10 season.[24] On 26 September, he made his comeback as an 85th-minute substitute in Tottenham's 5–0 thrashing of Burnley. This was Bale's first ever involvement in a Premier League win, after playing a record 24 league matches for Spurs without being on the winning side.[25][26][27] However, he endured a frustrating time on the bench as Benoît Assou-Ekotto was in good form. When Assou-Ekotto was sidelined with an injury, manager Harry Redknapp decided to give Bale a chance and he impressed in Spurs' FA Cup third-round 4–0 win over Peterborough.[28] He finally tasted victory for the first time as a starter in a league game in the 2–0 win over London rivals Fulham on 26 January 2010.[29]

Bale's good form continued and he was named Player of the Round after helping Spurs to a 3–1 win in the sixth round replay of the FA Cup against Fulham.[30] In April 2010, Bale scored the winning goal in a 2–1 North London derby win against Arsenal, tapping past Manuel Almunia after a pass from Jermain Defoe.[31] Three days later, Bale scored Tottenham's winning goal with his weaker right foot in a 2–1 victory over league leaders and eventual champions Chelsea and was named Man of the Match.[32] He was named Barclays Player of the Month for April 2010.[33] He signed a new four-year contract at White Hart Lane on 7 May 2010 as a reward for helping the club reach the Champions League qualification place.[34]

2010–11

Bale (left) with Tottenham Hotspur

On 21 August, Bale scored twice in a 2–1 win at Stoke City, the second of which was a head-high volley into the top right hand corner of the goal.[35] This was later awarded Goal of the Month for August 2010 by the BBC. On 25 August, Bale set up all four goals to help Spurs overcome Young Boys 4–0 (6–3 agg.) in a Champions League play-off at White Hart Lane.[36] Although Assou-Ekotto had already returned from injury, Bale continued his good form and cemented his place in the starting eleven, moving forward to left wing to accommodate Assou-Ekotto at left-back. On 29 September 2010, Bale scored his first Champions League goal for Tottenham in a 4–1 home win against Dutch champions FC Twente in their second game of the group stages. In recognition, he was named Welsh Player of the Year by the FAW.[37]

On 20 October 2010, Bale scored his first senior hat trick against European champions Inter Milan at the San Siro in the Champions League. Tottenham lost the match 4–3, having been 4–0 down inside the first 35 minutes and playing with ten men for over 80 minutes of the match after goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes had been sent off in the eighth minute for a professional foul on Inter's Jonathan Biabiany.[38] In the return match at White Hart Lane on 2 November, Bale provided a man of the match performance, setting up goals for Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko to earn Spurs a memorable 3–1 win.[39]

In December, Bale was awarded the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year trophy.[40] On 4 November 2010, Bale stated that he intended to remain at Tottenham for the remainder of his recently signed four-year contract, despite reported interest from other clubs,[41] and on 19 March 2011, he extended his stay at the club until 2015.[42] On 17 April 2011, Bale was honoured with the PFA Player of the Year award, as voted for by his peers.[43]

2011–12

Bale scored his first goal of the season on 24 September 2011, in an away game against Wigan Athletic.[44] The game ended in a 2–1 victory for Tottenham. He added his second and third goals of the season on 30 October with two goals against Queens Park Rangers in a 3–1 home win.[45] He continued his good form with the first goal in a 3–1 victory over Fulham the following week, whilst also setting up Aaron Lennon who made it 2–0 on the stroke of half time.[46] The first goal against Fulham was later ruled by the "dubious goals committee" to be an own goal by Chris Baird.[47]

Bale playing for Tottenham Hotspur in 2011

On 3 December 2011, Bale scored the first goal in Tottenham's 3–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers. He marked the goal with a tribute to Gary Speed by holding up his left boot, with "R.I.P Gary Speed" stitched on it, in front of the Bolton fans.[48] On 27 December, Bale scored twice to give Tottenham a 2–0 win against Norwich City.[49] On 5 January 2012, Bale was one of the players voted into the UEFA Team of the Year 2011. He scored his third brace of the season as he scored twice against Wigan on 31 January to take his tally to ten goals for the season.[50] In January 2012 he was the Premier League Player of the Month for the second time in his career, after three goals and two assists in the Premier League for the month.[51]

On 27 June 2012, Bale signed a new four-year contract, committing his future to the club until 2016.[52]

2012–13

For the 2012–13 season, Bale changed his squad number from 3 to number 11 as he was "not a left-back anymore" and had asked the club for a "higher number".[53][54] Bale scored his first goal of the season against Reading in a 3–1 away victory.[55] On 29 September, Bale scored the second goal in Tottenham's 3–2 away victory over Manchester United, their first win at Old Trafford since 1989.[56]

He scored his first Premier League hat-trick in a 4–0 away win on Boxing Day against Aston Villa.[57] Bale then scored in the FA Cup third round fixture against Coventry City as well as assisting Clint Dempsey on both his goals in a 3–0 win.[58] On 30 January, Bale scored a superb solo effort in the 1–1 draw with Norwich City.[59] Bale then scored against West Bromwich Albion in a 1–0 away win.[60] Bale then took his goal tally of the season to 15 goals with a brace against Newcastle United in a match which Spurs won 2–1, this took Spurs into third place, and strengthened their Champions League ambitions.[61]

In Bale's next game he scored directly from two free kicks, one from 35 yards out just before half time and another from 25 yards out in the dying seconds of injury time, to give Tottenham a 2–1 victory over Olympique Lyonnais in the first leg of their Europa League round of 32 tie. This took Bale to a tally of ten goals in his previous ten appearances.[62] In Tottenham's Premier League match against West Ham on 25 February, Bale scored the first and third in a 3–2 win for Tottenham. His second, a long range dipping strike from over 30 yards, in the dying stages of the game, capped a world class performance. This was his eighth goal in six games.[63]

On 3 March 2013, Bale scored against Arsenal in a North London derby that Tottenham won 2–1.[64] On 7 March, Tottenham faced Internazionale in the Europa League, with Bale scoring the opening goal and Tottenham winning 3–0.[65] Bale's run of good form in the early months of 2013 saw him win Premier League Player of the Month for February[66] as well as the BBC's Goal of the Month in both January and February for his strikes against Norwich City and West Ham United respectively.[67] On 4 April, Bale injured his right ankle in the first leg of the Europa League quarter final against FC Basel.[68] On his return from injury, Bale scored a goal and assisted Clint Dempsey as Tottenham beat Manchester City at White Hart Lane.[69]

On 28 April 2013, Bale won both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year after his excellent showing in the 2012–13 season.[70] A week later, on 2 May 2013, he added the FWA (Football Writer's Association) Player of the Year Award, making Bale one of only two players who have won all three in the same season, the other being Cristiano Ronaldo, who won them in 2007.[71] Bale scored the winning goal against his former club Southampton on 4 May. The goal gave Spurs a 1–0 win as well as being Bale's 20th in the Premier League in his 200th appearance for Spurs. On 19 May, Bale scored a 90th-minute goal from 25 yards out. This goal gave Spurs a 1–0 win over Sunderland, but was not enough to give them Champions League football for the following season.[72]

Real Madrid

Bale at his Real Madrid unveiling in September 2013.

On 1 September 2013, Spanish club Real Madrid announced that they had reached an agreement for the transfer of Bale,[73] signing a six-year deal for an undisclosed fee. The Spanish press (and Real Madrid TV) reported that Bale had cost £77 million (€91 million), while the British press reported a world record transfer fee of £85.3 million (€100 million), which would be above Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer record fee of £80 million (€94 million).[74][75][76][77][78] Bale was assigned the number 11 shirt at Madrid.[79]

2013–14

The first half of Bale's season was plagued by injuries; of Real's first sixteen games after his signing, Bale missed five and was substituted on or off in six others, playing only five full games.[80][81] Bale scored on his Real Madrid debut, a goal coming in the 38th minute against Villarreal, before being substituted later in the game for Ángel Di María.[82] Bale's second appearance for Madrid came in a 6–1 victory over Galatasaray in the Champions League. Although Bale only played the final twenty-six minutes, his free-kick led to Cristiano Ronaldo's second goal of the game.[83] On 28 September 2013, Bale made his home debut as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 loss to local rivals Atlético Madrid.[84]

Due to a recurring thigh injury he suffered during pre-season, Bale missed the first two games of October, against Copenhagen and Levante.[85] Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti gradually eased him back into action, as he played 14 minutes against Málaga on 19 October. He won a stoppage time penalty which Ronaldo scored to give Madrid a 2–0 victory.[86] Following a brief appearance against Juventus in the Champions League,[87] Bale made his El Clásico debut on 26 October, but was substituted in the 61st minute. Barcelona won the game 2–1, and Bale's performance drew some media criticism.[88] Four days later, he scored two goals and assisted two in a 7–3 victory against Sevilla. Following his impressive performance the Spanish press nicknamed Bale "The Cannon".[89]

Bale playing for Real Madrid against Atlético Madrid in September 2013

In November, he assisted a further two goals in Madrid's 3–2 victory over Rayo Vallecano,[90] before scoring in a 2–2 draw with Juventus in the Champions League.[91] On 9 November, Bale assisted Sami Khedira's goal in a 5–1 win over Real Sociedad.[92] On 23 November, Bale scored his fourth league goal in eight games as Madrid defeated Almería 5–0.[93] He then scored a dipping free-kick against Galatasaray in the Champions League, a match which Madrid won 4–1 despite being a man down.[94] On 30 November, Bale rounded off the month with his first hat-trick for Real Madrid, as well as assisting Karim Benzema, in a 4–0 victory over Real Valladolid. It was a "perfect hat-trick": one goal with a header and one with each foot.[95]

On 26 February 2014, he scored twice in Real Madrid's 6–1 win against Schalke in the Champions League round-of-16 first leg.[96] He then scored one of the team's three goals in a 3–0 quarter-final defeat of Borussia Dortmund on 2 April, taking him to five Champions League goals for the season.[97] In La Liga, he scored four goals in three matches between gameweeks 31 and 33, as Real Madrid defeated Rayo Vallecano (5–0),[98] Real Sociedad (4–0)[99] and Almería (4–0).[100]

"It is difficult to see a player sprint like that at that stage of the game."

—Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino on Bale's 85th minute winner for Madrid in the Copa del Rey final.[101]

On 16 April, Bale scored the winning goal for Real Madrid with five minutes remaining in the 2014 Copa del Rey Final against rivals Barcelona.[102] Considered one of the best goals of his career, Bale outsprinted Barcelona defender Marc Bartra from the halfway line (with Bale running off the field at one point) before converting past goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto.[102] In the post match interview Bale stated, "I had to get round the player and go off the pitch to do it", while his Real Madrid teammate Xabi Alonso commented, "It was incredible, I have never seen anything like it".[101] The goal was Bale's 20th of the season and his first in a Clásico fixture.[101]

On 24 May, Bale scored in the 110th minute of the extra time period to put Real Madrid 2–1 up against city rivals Atlético Madrid in the 2014 UEFA Champions League Final, as Los Blancos won their tenth European Cup.[103] The goal made Bale the first Welshman to score a goal in a European Cup/Champions League final (Ian Rush scored in a penaty shoot-out for Liverpool in the 1984 European Cup final). Bale finished his debut season with 22 goals and 16 assists in all competitions.[104] Real Madrid's attacking trio of Bale, Benzema and Cristiano, dubbed "BBC", finished the season with 97 goals.[105]

2014–15

Bale playing for Real Madrid in 2015.

Although the 2014–15 season saw a drop in performance from Bale, he started the season in good form, playing the full 90 minutes and assisting Cristiano Ronaldo's first goal in a 2–0 win at the Cardiff City Stadium against Sevilla to win the 2014 UEFA Super Cup.[106] This was his third trophy as a Real Madrid player. After the match, his performance was described as "amazing" by Ronaldo.[107] Six days later, Bale scored his first goal of the season in a 4–2 away loss to Real Sociedad.[108] Bale scored twice in Real's 8–2 win over Deportivo La Coruna on 20 September 2014.[109][110]

In December 2014, Bale scored in a third major final, the second goal in a 2–0 win over San Lorenzo, to help the club win the FIFA Club World Cup.[111] In a match against Espanyol on 10 January 2015, Bale was booed by a section of Madrid fans who adjudged him as being selfish in shooting for goal and not passing to Ronaldo.[112] Bale was later defended by Carlo Ancelotti over the issue.[113] On 18 April, Bale sustained a calf injury against Málaga.[114]

2015–16

Bale scored twice in Real's win over Real Betis in September 2015.[105] His two goals took the total number of goals of Madrid's attacking trio of Bale, Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo to 200 goals since they first played together.[105]

International career

Giggs played for Wales 64 times, but never at a major international tournament.

England School Boys

Born in Cardiff to Welsh parents, Giggs represented Wales at international level. As a youngster, Giggs captained England Schoolboys, but contrary to popular belief, he was never eligible for the full England team (eligibility at the schoolboy level depends solely upon the location of the school, in Giggs' case Moorside High School in Salford).[115] In October 2009, new rules were introduced for the Home Nations' associations that would have enabled Giggs to represent England had he not already represented Wales in an official competition,[116] but Giggs has always maintained that he would have chosen to play for Wales anyway; he stated in 2002, "I'd rather go through my career without qualifying for a major championship than play for a country where I wasn't born or which my parents didn't have anything to do with".[117]

In his one year with the England Schoolboys team, Giggs played nine times, all as captain, winning seven matches and losing twice.[118] Among the wins was a 4–0 victory over his Welsh peers, many of whom he would play alongside when he made the step up to the Welsh youth team the following year.[119]

Wales

In May 1991, Giggs made his debut for the Wales Under-21s, a 2–1 victory over Poland in Warsaw.[120] It would turn out to be his only appearance for the team, as he received a call-up to the senior team later that year.

Giggs made his international debut away to Germany in October 1991, coming on as an 84th-minute substitute for Eric Young at the age of 17 years, 321 days to become the youngest player to appear for the Welsh senior team; he held this record until June 1998, when Ryan Green appeared against Malta at the age of 17 years, 226 days.[121] Wales were still in contention to qualify for UEFA Euro 1992 before the game, but a 4–1 victory for the Germans, who went on to win their remaining games against Belgium and Luxembourg, meant they qualified at Wales' expense.

Giggs' first senior goal for Wales came on 31 March 1993 in a 3–0 win over Belgium in Cardiff in a World Cup qualifying game, the same game in which Ian Rush scored for Wales for a record 24th time.[122]

After his international debut in 1991 against Germany, Giggs missed 18 consecutive friendly games before finally making his first friendly appearance for Wales against Finland in March 2000,[123] by which time he had already accrued 25 caps.[124] The reason for his continued absence from non-competitive fixtures was largely a protective measure against unnecessary injuries; in his autobiography, Giggs states: "At that time, whenever I played two games in one week I always seemed to pick up an injury, so [Alex Ferguson] and I sat down and looked at it game by game. If the international was a friendly, the feeling was that I didn't have to play."[125] Regardless, his regularly withdrawing from Wales squads and routinely missing friendlies was criticised.[126]

In a qualifier against England for the 2006 FIFA World Cup at Old Trafford where Wales lost 2–0, Giggs played against some present and former Manchester United teammates including David Beckham, Gary Neville, and Wayne Rooney.[127][128][129] During a 2006 World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan on 12 October 2005, Giggs scored a rare double in a 2–0 win, but Wales failed to reach the play-offs.[130]

In September 2006, he played in a friendly against Brazil at White Hart Lane where Wales lost 2–0. Brazil coach Dunga complimented Gigg's performance by stating he would not look out of place playing for the five-time world champions alongside stars such as Kaká and Ronaldinho.[131]

Giggs announced his retirement from international football on Wednesday, 30 May 2007, at a press conference held at The Vale of Glamorgan Hotel, drawing the curtain on a 16-year international career.[132] He cited concentrating on his United career as the main reason for stepping down. His final game for Wales, and as captain, was the Euro 2008 qualifier against the Czech Republic on 2 June at Cardiff. He earned his 64th cap in this game and won the Man of the Match award as Wales drew 0–0.[133] In November, he was one of three players in the final nomination by the FAW for the Wales Player of the Year award, which was ultimately won by Craig Bellamy.[134]

In an interview with the Western Mail on 26 March 2010, Giggs hinted that he might be tempted to come out of international retirement for his country's UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, in order to cover for the injured Aaron Ramsey.[135] He later clarified his position to BBC Radio Manchester, saying that he would only return to Wales duty in an emergency.[136]

Great Britain

For the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Great Britain entered a team for the first time in over 40 years, with Giggs as captain.

On 28 June 2012, Giggs was confirmed as one of the three over-age players selected for Great Britain to compete at 2012 Summer Olympics alongside Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards,[137] and he was subsequently named the team captain.[138]

He scored with a header against the United Arab Emirates in a 3–1 win on 29 July to become the oldest goalscorer in the football competition at the Summer Olympics at the age of 38 years and 243 days, beating an 88-year-old record that had been held by Egypt's Hussein Hegazi.[139]

Career statistics

Club

As of 18 April 2015[140]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Other1 Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bangor City 2001–02 28 5 5 0 4 0 — — 37 5
2002–03 14 0 3 0 4 0 19 1 4 1 45 2
Total 42 5 8 0 4 0 19 1 4 1 82 7
Notts County 2003–04 8 3 3 0 1 0 — 2 0 12 3
2004–05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2009–10 23 3 8 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 34 3
2010–11 30 7 0 0 0 0 11 4 0 0 41 11
2011–122 36 9 4 2 0 0 2 1 0 0 42 12
2012–13 33 21 2 1 1 1 8 3 0 0 44 26
Total 146 42 16 3 10 2 31 8 0 0 203 55
Real Madrid 2013–14 27 15 5 1 — 12 6 0 0 44 22
2014–15 28 13 2 0 — 8 2 5 2 43 17
Total 55 28 7 1 — 20 8 5 2 87 39
Career total 241 75 24 4 13 2 50 16 6 2 335 99

1 Includes Football League Championship play-offs, Supercopa de España, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
2 The Spurs goal tally excludes the goal scored against Fulham on 6 November 2011, later ruled as an own goal[47]

International

[133][141]

Wales senior team
Year Apps Goals
1991 2 0
1992 3 0
1993 6 2
1994 1 1
1995 3 0
1996 3 1
1997 3 1
1998 1 0
1999 3 1
2000 4 1
2001 4 0
2002 5 0
2003 7 1
2004 3 0
2005 6 3
2006 5 0
2007 4 1
Total 64 12
GB Olympic football team
2012 4 1
Total 4 1

International goals

Scores and results list Wales' goal tally first.

Managerial record

As of match played 19 November 2019
Team From To Record
G W D L Win % Ref.
Manchester United 22 April 2014[142] 11 May 2014 4 2 1 1 050.00 [143]
Wales 15 January 2018[144] present 19 9 3 7 047.37 [143]
Total 23 11 4 8 047.83 —

Honours

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