Gareth Bale

Mercedes


The Welsh superstar is so fast that rumour has it he can outrun motor vehicles, however, to keep up appearances he does like to sit behind the steering-wheel sometimes!

Born in Cardiff Wales, he graduated from the fabled Southampton FC academy, before becoming the second-youngest to make his debut for The Saints, at 16 years and 275 days, in a 2-0 victory over Millwall on 17 April 2006. The youngster started off as a left-sided full-back, garnering attention for his searing pace and the ability to strike on dead-ball situations. After impressive showings in the EFL Championship with Southampton, Premier League club Tottenham calling, signing the Welshman on 25 May 2007 for a fee of £10 million. The youngster had a difficult start to life at Spurs; coming under scrutiny for his defensive frailties, and a streak of injuries which only worsened the matter. But one night at the San Siro, during a UEFA Champions League tie, everything changed; playing in a more offensive role, the Welshman scored a hat-trick to stun then European champions Internazionale; Inter would recover to win the match 4-3 but the brilliant Welshman would grab all the headlines. The winger never looked back, overnight he transformed his career to become one of the most feared wide-man on the planet; with a return of 31 goals and 23 assists during his final two-years in England, he was crowned PFA Player of the Year twice, among a plethora of personal accolades. Soon it became apparent that Spurs weren’t in a position to match the Welshman’s lofty aspirations, and on 1 September 2013, Real Madrid paid a then world record transfer fee of €100 million to secure his services. The Welsh wizard would go on to play a pivotal part in Los Blancos’ success over the next decade, highlighted by their incredible run of 4 UEFA Champions League wins in five years.