From Spurs reject to world-record sale

October 2009
Plagued by injuries and having the dubious honour of playing in a record 24 straight matches without a win,20 year-old Gareth Bale, who was thought to be cursed, is labelled a flop and subjected to a paltry £3 million offer from Birmingham just two years after Tottenham bought him from Southampton for what ended up being a £7 million fee. Spurs cannily bought out his sell-on clause for around £3m, a move which seemed good business for Southampton but ultimately cost them tens of millions of pounds.

May 2010
After winning the Premier League player of the month award for April, Bale is rewarded with a new four-year contract for helping Spurs earn a Champions League qualification spot with match winning goals against Arsenal and Chelsea in a three-day span.

October 2010
Having been moved from left back to left wing earlier in the season, Bale and Spurs find themselves down 4-0 and playing with 10 men by half-time at Inter Milan in the Champions League group stage. In the second half, Bale scores his first professional hat trick, completely destroying UEFA defender of the year Maicon in the process. Though they still lose 4-3 to the reigning Champions of Europe, Spurs win the return match 3-1 and top their group before eventually being eliminated in the quarter-finals. Bale is named PFA Player of the Year at the end of the season, and his performances effectively ruin the career of former Brazil right-back Maicon.

May 2013
Named both the PFA Young Player of the Year and Player's Player of the Year at the end of a 2012/13 season in which he scored 26 goals across all competitions, Bale has been the subject of on and off interest from Real
Madrid for months. Doubts are raised as to whether he's worth the £50 million fee the Spanish club were supposedly willing to pay for him.

September 2013
Bale is sold to Real Madrid for between £77 million and £85 million, making him either the most expensive or second most expensive player of all time behind new team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo. The astronomical fee prompts widespread debate about whether he or anyone is worth that much money. Many say he definitely isn't worth it. The combination of his price tag and initial injury struggles prompt intense scrutiny on him and Cristiano Ronaldo himself even asks everyone to back off.

October 2013
Bale's first few months in Madrid are a bit of a nightmare, his flashes of brilliance interrupted by injury. He is rushed back for the Clasico defeat to Barcelona, and is subbed off on the hour mark. Barcelona's bigsigning Neymar, meanwhile, shines in the match, leading to mockery of Bale, who was supposed to have been more expensive.That mockery comes back to haunt the Catalans, when it later transpires Neymar cost a lot more than initially though, before the Brazilian's form dips remarkably.

April 2014
Cementing himself as one of Real Madrid's most dangerous players after getting his injury troubles under control back, Bale scores a season defining goal with an incredible burst of speed in the closing minutes of the Copa Del Rey final against Barcelona. His goal wins the match and Real Madrid's first trophy in nearly two seasons.

May 2014
Bale misses several excellent chances throughout regular time of the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid, eliciting jokes and mockery. An injury-time equalizer from Sergio Ramos sends it to extra time and Bale scores the winner in the 110th minute of a match that would end 4-1 in Real Madrid's favour. Bale's goal in his first Champions League final wins the club's long promised 10th European Cup, La Decima. He finishes the season with 22 goals and 16 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions.

I hate Bale.

A very motivational career story. Never give up, never let other tell you how good you are or could be.

From what i see (taking also how media and hype and critics have painted him), Bale seems to be a nice, humble and down to earth guy.

i love Bale

I have never considered him a flop to be honest.

i liked him before. now he's a greedy show-off ronaldo.

@liomessi10 -- What? Elaborate.

^he try's to take on every player like ronaldo does.

^How is that showing off?^

^ showing off his skills.

^ messi passes alot more.

^ This guy is annoying...

^ hvf

who the fuck are people who ever called him a flop! nobody gives a fuck about wat they have to say! i always believed bale is an awesome player! And despite going to a new club with a history of producing the best out there and the weight of expectations he delivered in the very first season!

^ They were going to sell him and everythig so yeah, he ws a flop.

He never is or was a flop. He just came from England and needed a little bit of time to adjust to the Spanish footballing style of RM. I actually never wanted him at our squad instead i wanted somebody like Koke or Eduardo Vargas.

^ He was a flop when he started his career. This is what the article is all about... I don't think anyone actually read this..

^ Oh lol sorry. You wrote too much stuff so i decided not to read it :D

@rama i didnt cause it was too much. please write less in the future.

I did not write this it was an article. And if even I read it, i don't think its that long xD