Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale
Gareth Frank Baleis a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a winger for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Wales national team. Renowned for his ball striking from distance, swerving free kicks, and his ability to get past defenders with pace, Bale has received plaudits from his peers, who have described him as a footballer with "tremendous speed, great crossing ability, a great left foot and exceptional physical qualities"...
NationalityWelsh
ProfessionSoccer Player
Date of Birth16 July 1989
CityCardiff, Wales
Whenever I get days off, I go home, or friends and family come up. I'm in contact with them every day, so it's like we live next door, but obviously we live in two different countries. Football is my job, and everyone around me has given me the opportunity to purely concentrate on football, and everyone else worries about everything else.
There seems to be this thing in football where everything has to be... now!
My dad's the one who's always been there; he's my hero, you could say. Even when he was working, he'd do anything for me. He's been the biggest influence in my life.
I was never too much into school. I liked lunchtimes and breaks, but nah, I hated sitting at a desk. I was always looking out of the window, looking at my watch, thinking about when I could play football.
I always believed in my ability, but I think in any sport you need that little bit of luck.
I'm ambitious, I want to play in the Champions League, and that's the aim with Tottenham - to start qualifying for the Champions League on a consistent basis.
Between 12 and 14, I shot up a ridiculous amount. The muscles were struggling to stretch and grow at the rate my bones were growing. It gave me problems with my back and my hamstrings.
I've certainly not got any famous people's numbers on my phone. It's just not my thing, really.
I'd say that Spanish football is probably the best I've seen.
I think La Liga is the best league in the world.
I play computer games, watch TV and do what normal people do.
When you play in the Premier League, say you're playing against a lower-end team, they set up to defend all the time, they set up to block you off. But when you play in the Champions League, all the other teams are used to winning every week, so it's more of an open game, it's more attacking, end-to-end.
The most important thing is to not waste your money.
I don't go out, so I don't get attention from girls. They're not going to have posters of me on their walls. I just try to get on with my life.