Gareth Bale's Success and Achievements in Timeline
A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Gareth Bale.
Gareth Bale is a retired Welsh professional footballer who played as a right winger. He is considered one of the best players of his era and the greatest Welsh player ever. He is most known for his time with Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid. Bale also played for Wales.
1958: First Welsh player to score at a major international tournament
In 2016, his goal saw him become the first Welsh player to score at a major international tournament since Terry Medwin's goal against Hungary at the 1958 FIFA World Cup.
2005: Leaves School
In the summer of 2005, Gareth Bale left school with a Grade A in PE and was awarded the PE department's prize for services to sport.
May 2006: Wales Debut
In May 2006, Gareth Bale made his debut for Wales in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago, becoming the youngest player to play for Wales at the time, at 16 years and 315 days old.
October 2006: Youngest Wales Goalscorer
In October 2006, Bale became the youngest goalscorer for the Wales national team, scoring a free kick against Slovakia.
December 2006: BBC Wales Young Sports Personality of the Year
In December 2006, Gareth Bale won the Carwyn James Award for the BBC Wales Young Sports Personality of the Year.
2006: Cristiano Ronaldo wins PFA Awards
In the 2006–07 season, Cristiano Ronaldo won both the PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player awards.
March 2007: Football League Young Player of the Year
On 4 March 2007, Gareth Bale was named the Football League Young Player of the Year.
2007: Ronaldo Wins Awards
In 2007, Cristiano Ronaldo also won the PFA Players' Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year, and FWA Footballer of the Year awards in the same season.
April 2010: Premier League Player of the Month
In April 2010, Gareth Bale was named Premier League Player of the Month after scoring key goals against Arsenal and Chelsea.
August 2010: Goal of the Month
On 21 August 2010, Gareth 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. This was later awarded the BBC Goal of the Month.
November 2010: Champions League group stage match against Inter Milan
After a Champions League group stage match against Inter Milan on 2 November 2010, his teammate Rafael van der Vaart said, "Everyone is scared of him (Bale).
December 2010: BBC Cymru Sports Personality of the Year
In December 2010, Bale was awarded the BBC Cymru Sports Personality of the Year trophy.
2011: Praised by Managers and Players
In 2011, As Bale developed into one of the most dangerous left wingers in the world, he was praised by managers, current players, and past players such as Luís Figo, José Mourinho and Dani Alves
2011: UEFA Team of the Year
On 5 January 2012, Gareth Bale was one of the players voted into the 2011 UEFA Team of the Year.
January 2012: Named Premier League Player of the Month
In January 2012, Gareth Bale was named Premier League Player of the Month for the second time in his career.
October 2012: Compared to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
In October 2012, Harry Redknapp mentioned him in the same class as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
2012: PFA Awards
In the 2012–13 season, Bale won both the PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player awards.
May 2013: PFA and FWA Awards
In May 2013, Gareth Bale won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards for his outstanding performance in the 2012-13 season. On 2 May 2013, he also received the FWA Footballer of the Year Award, becoming one of only two players to win all three awards in the same season. Bale scored the winning goal against Southampton on 4 May, securing a 1–0 victory and marking his 20th Premier League goal in his 200th appearance for Spurs.
October 2013: Wales Debut Record Broken
In October 2013, Harry Wilson broke the record for youngest player to play for Wales that Gareth Bale had previously set in 2006.
2013: Premier League Player of the Month
In the early months of 2013, Gareth Bale won Premier League Player of the Month for February as well as the BBC Goal of the Month in both January and February.
September 2014: Goals Against Andorra
In September 2014, Bale scored two goals in Wales's match against Andorra, becoming Wales' joint 10th all-time top-scorer.
December 2014: FIFA Club World Cup Goal
In December 2014, Gareth Bale scored in the FIFA Club World Cup final against San Lorenzo, helping Real Madrid win the title.
2014: Champions League and Copa del Rey win
In 2014, Gareth Bale helped Real Madrid to win the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, scoring in both finals.
2014: Copa del Rey Winning Goal
In 2014, specifically on 16 April, Gareth Bale scored the winning goal for Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey Final against Barcelona. Considered one of his best goals, he outsprinted Marc Bartra to score past José Manuel Pinto.
2014: Champions League Final Goal
On 24 May 2014, Gareth Bale scored in the 110th minute of extra time in the Champions League Final against Atlético Madrid, putting Real Madrid ahead 2–1. Real Madrid won the match, securing their tenth European Cup. Bale became the first Welshman to score in a European Cup/Champions League final.
2015: Champions League Win
In 2015, and continuing into 2016, Gareth Bale was a regular starter when Real Madrid won the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League.
2015: UEFA Men's Player of the Year Nomination
In 2015–16, Bale was among the top three nominees for the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award.
January 2016: Transfer Fee Confirmed
In January 2016, leaked documents confirmed that Gareth Bale's transfer fee to Real Madrid was €100.8 million (£85.1 million), making it a world record at the time.
March 2016: Highest Scoring British Player
On 20 March 2016, Gareth Bale became the highest-scoring British player in La Liga history, scoring his 43rd goal in a 4–0 win against Sevilla.
August 2016: Transfer Record Surpassed
In August 2016, Paul Pogba surpassed Gareth Bale's transfer record with a fee of €105 million (£89.2 million).
2016: ESPN ranked Bale twelfth
In 2016, ESPN ranked Bale twelfth on its list of the world's most famous athletes.
2016: Ballon D’Or Nomination
In 2016, Gareth Bale finished in 6th place for the Ballon D’Or nomination.
2016: Seventh-best footballer in the world
In 2016, The Guardian listed him as the seventh-best footballer in the world.
2017: La Liga and Champions League Title
In 2017, Gareth Bale featured 19 times for Real Madrid as they won their 33rd La Liga title. He also played in the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final, where Real Madrid won against Juventus.
2017: Trophies with Real Madrid
In 2017, Gareth Bale featured in Real Madrid's victories in the UEFA Super Cup, the Supercopa de España and the FIFA Club World Cup. Also in 2017, he made 26 appearances and scored 16 goals but Real Madrid were unable to reclaim the title, finishing in third.
March 2018: Wales' all-time top-scorer
In March 2018, Bale became Wales' all-time top-scorer surpassing Ian Rush's 28, thanks to his first hat-trick in his international career in a 2018 China Cup match against China.
August 2018: Player of the Month
In August 2018, Gareth Bale was awarded Cinco Estrellas Mahou for the Real Madrid Player of the Month.
December 2018: FIFA Club World Cup Hat-Trick
On 19 December 2018, Gareth Bale scored a hat-trick in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup against Kashima Antlers. He was awarded the Golden Ball after Real Madrid won the competition.
2018: Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup
In 2018, Gareth Bale scored what is widely regarded as the greatest goal in a Champions League final. He was awarded the FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball.
2018: Champions League Final
In the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final, Gareth Bale scored two goals, helping Real Madrid win their thirteenth Champions League trophy. He became the first substitute to score twice in a Champions League final and was named man of the match.
2022: Member of the Order of the British Empire
In 2022, Bale was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his contributions to association football and various charities.
