Background and career
Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a right winger, most notably for Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, and the Wales national team. A five-time UEFA Champions League winner, he is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation and the greatest Welsh player of all time. Bale was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for his contributions to association football and various charities.
Bale began his professional career at Southampton, playing as a left-back before moving to Tottenham in 2007. From the 2009–10 season, under coach Harry Redknapp, Bale transformed into a winger. With Tottenham, he rose to international prominence during the club's 2010–11 Champions League campaign. At the end of the season, he was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year, before earning the award again following his 2012–13 campaign that led Real Madrid to sign him in September 2013 for a then world-record transfer fee of £85.1 million (€100.8 million). During his time at Tottenham, he was included in the UEFA Team of the Year twice.
Bale went on to be an integral player for Madrid, scoring over 100 goals for them. In his debut season, he scored the winning goal in the 2014 Copa del Rey final against rivals Barcelona and the go-ahead goal in extra time of the 2014 Champions League final, helping Madrid win the long-awaited La Décima. In 2015–16, he scored 19 goals in 23 matches in La Liga and assisted the opening goal in the 2016 Champions League final, later making the three-man shortlist for the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award. He earned Man of the Match after scoring twice, including an overhead kick, in the 2018 Champions League final, and helped Madrid win the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup, where he received the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. Bale returned to Tottenham on loan before playing his final season in Madrid. He joined MLS club Los Angeles FC in July 2022, winning an MLS Cup.
Bale made his international debut for Wales in May 2006. He had 111 caps for the nation and scored 41 goals, making him Wales' most capped player and top goalscorer of all time. He was the top goalscorer for Wales in the qualifying rounds for UEFA Euro 2016, scoring seven times; he played every match for Wales in the actual tournament and led Wales to the semi-finals, scoring three goals. He also played in Euro 2020 and helped Wales qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, ending a 64-year appearance drought at the World Cup for Wales. He was named Welsh Footballer of the Year a record six times.
Gareth Frank Bale was born in Cardiff, Wales, to Frank, a school caretaker, and Debbie Bale, an operations manager. He is the nephew of former Cardiff City footballer Chris Pike. He attended Eglwys Newydd Primary School in Whitchurch from 1993 to 2000. It was while at this school that he first came to the attention of Southampton at age nine, when he was playing in a six-a-side tournament with his first club, Cardiff Civil Service. Growing up, his footballing hero was fellow Welshman and Manchester United player Ryan Giggs.
How Gareth Bale makes money
Bale has over 45 million Instagram followers and earns $185,000 per sponsored post, the second-highest paid British person after David Beckham.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth, in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
