0:00:02 > 0:00:04The big story, the confirmation that Gareth Bale...
0:00:04 > 0:00:06..has signed for Real Madrid...
0:00:06 > 0:00:09- ..for a record-breaking... - ..£85 million.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12When you're a boy, you see the players coming in and being unveiled
0:00:12 > 0:00:15and putting on the white shirt and you think,
0:00:15 > 0:00:16"One day, could that be me?"
0:00:16 > 0:00:19And the day is finally here now
0:00:19 > 0:00:21and it literally is a dream come true.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25He had so much ability and flare -
0:00:25 > 0:00:28something you don't see in many young players.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Players just wondered who this player was.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33All they could see was the number on his back.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Everyone knew he was the best attacking left-back in the country.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39It wasn't difficult. It was just that Tottenham took the plunge.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42The Spanish club has agreed to pay a world-record fee
0:00:42 > 0:00:43of around 100 million euros.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Widely considered one of the world's best players,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Bale is the latest addition to Real Madrid.
0:00:48 > 0:00:54Nowadays, there is no other player in Europe or in the world like him.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56He is a fantastic player. There's no doubt.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59For me, at the moment, he would be the third-best player in the world
0:00:59 > 0:01:00behind Messi and Ronaldo.
0:01:00 > 0:01:05The spotlight will be immense. And it's whether he can cope with that.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Ability-wise, he is phenomenal.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Tonight, the Premier League has lost perhaps its brightest talent.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12CHEERING
0:01:13 > 0:01:17On Sunday, September 1st, after months of rumours,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19speculation and negotiation,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22the announcement the world of football had been waiting for -
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Tottenham Hotspur had agreed to sell their biggest asset, Gareth Bale,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29to the world's biggest club, Real Madrid.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33COMMENTATOR: He's got it! I don't believe it!
0:01:33 > 0:01:36A deal worth more than £85 million,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38which makes Bale the most expensive player in the world...
0:01:38 > 0:01:42COMMENTATOR: Bale! He's done it again!
0:01:42 > 0:01:43..ever.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48And with it, a pressure to perform like he's never known before.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Football - a truly global industry.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05Across every continent, billions of pounds, euros, dollars and yen
0:02:05 > 0:02:10are spent by clubs and the fans who follow their idol's every move.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18The richest club of all is based here, in the Spanish capital.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22At last count, Real Madrid were valued at more than 3 billion.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Their current squad alone is worth half a billion pounds.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29They are the kings of the big signing, with the financial muscle
0:02:29 > 0:02:32to reach for the biggest stars on the planet...
0:02:34 > 0:02:37..players who become known as Galacticos,
0:02:37 > 0:02:39expensive, world-famous.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Gareth Bale is the first Welsh Galactico,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46following in the footsteps of superstars.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Zidane, Figo, Beckham
0:02:48 > 0:02:50and the guy who has just been demoted
0:02:50 > 0:02:52to the second most-expensive player in history,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56the £80 million man, Cristiano Ronaldo.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02But Bale doesn't come from Portugal or Spain,
0:03:02 > 0:03:03nor Latin America.
0:03:03 > 0:03:04Not even England.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06He comes from a country known for producing
0:03:06 > 0:03:08some of the best rugby stars on the planet.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10CHEERING
0:03:10 > 0:03:14World-class footballers, like a Ryan Giggs or a John Charles,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16come along far less often.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21So how did a shy, home-loving lad from Whitchurch in Cardiff
0:03:21 > 0:03:24end up at the centre of a multimillion-pound transfer
0:03:24 > 0:03:27to one of the most iconic clubs in the world?
0:03:28 > 0:03:33This is the story of the £85 million man, Gareth Bale.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Gareth Bale was born in Cardiff in 1989.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54His dad, Frank, was a caretaker at a local comprehensive school.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57His mum, Debbie, a solicitor's receptionist.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00But sport ran in the family. Debbie was an accomplished athlete,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03while Bale's grandad played for Newport County
0:04:03 > 0:04:06and his uncle, Chris Pike, for Cardiff City.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10COMMENTATOR: Pike has scored! He took his time and he scored the goal!
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Bale went to the local secondary -
0:04:16 > 0:04:19a school more like a factory for future sports stars.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21There at the same time as him,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Olympic cycling champion Geraint Thomas
0:04:23 > 0:04:26and Wales and Lions' rugby captain Sam Warburton.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Physically, Bale didn't exactly stand out.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34He was just one face among hundreds on a school photo.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37But he would excel as an all-round athlete.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43He just came across as a really, really nice, grounded young man
0:04:43 > 0:04:47who had a real desire and a real drive to play sport
0:04:47 > 0:04:48and succeed at sport.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51He was quiet. Got about his work quietly.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Didn't really upset too many people.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Just, um...I guess, easy to get along with.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59He was the kid who was good at football, you know?
0:04:59 > 0:05:02"Give the ball to Bale," that was probably our main call.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04If he didn't play, we didn't win.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07I remember watching one game, we were playing Corpus Christi,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09which is a Catholic school in Cardiff.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11It was pouring down with rain.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14It was like a semifinal of the Cardiff Cup or something.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17He was on the left wing and he got surrounded by three players.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19You think, "He's got no chance." He did some ridiculous skill,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22the next thing, the kids are looking at each other,
0:05:22 > 0:05:23he's off, just trotting down the wing.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27There were about 10 to 12 internationals in that year group
0:05:27 > 0:05:28at various sports.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31And certainly, they pushed each other all the time.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34They were normal pupils.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36They weren't superstars. They were just, um...
0:05:36 > 0:05:39And they encouraged each other to perform.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Before he'd even made it to high school,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44at the age of nine, Bale was spotted by Southampton
0:05:44 > 0:05:46and enrolled into their academy system.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49When he reached 15, he was invited to train with the youth team.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53At this point, little sign that he'd become the superstar he is now.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57He wasn't rated as one of the top ones.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01But we persisted with him because he was left-sided.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03He did have something.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05He was a good crosser of the ball.
0:06:05 > 0:06:06He could beat people.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10But if you were saying to me, "Was he a top player at that stage?"
0:06:10 > 0:06:11The answer would be, "No."
0:06:11 > 0:06:15That's probably because he didn't have the physicality
0:06:15 > 0:06:17that he now obviously has.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20I remember the first time I ever seen Gareth,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22I think he went up to challenge for the ball to head it
0:06:22 > 0:06:26and fell back on his back and had to be carried off.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28That was the first time I'd ever seen him.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31He wasn't very big. There's no getting away from that.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35And that's when that dedication and that hunger
0:06:35 > 0:06:38and that will to win overrides your physical stature.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44January 2005, and it was make-or-break time for Bale.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48He had one 90-minute match to save his dream of a career in football.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Mess it up and that might be it.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52No academy scholarship at Southampton.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53No professional contract.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55No megastar status.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00That was a massive, massive day in his family's life.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03And I think all three of us were hoping and praying
0:07:03 > 0:07:05that Gareth came up with the goods.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10History will tell you we won the game 5-1, we played fantastic.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Gareth had one of those games that you dream of
0:07:13 > 0:07:15when you're in that situation.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19And when I saw the coach after the game, it was an obvious one
0:07:19 > 0:07:21and we were both delighted for the Bale family
0:07:21 > 0:07:22and Gareth in particular.
0:07:26 > 0:07:27But winning a scholarship meant
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Bale had to commit himself to the life of a footballer.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32He'd have to move to the south coast.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33Still technically a schoolboy,
0:07:33 > 0:07:37he'd have to learn his trade while still finishing off his studies.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45I'm sure if Gareth progresses in the next 12-24 months
0:07:45 > 0:07:47as well as he has done in this 12 months,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50he's got a very bright future to look forward to.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55From the day he came in full-time as a scholar,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57when he was 16 plus,
0:07:57 > 0:08:02I think most people then would have seen a massive change in him -
0:08:02 > 0:08:04physically, confidence-wise and mentally.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06APPLAUSE
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Bale was settling well into life at Southampton.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12The hairstyle was getting a little fancier.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14And the winner is...Gareth Bale.
0:08:14 > 0:08:15APPLAUSE
0:08:15 > 0:08:18And the recognition was starting to follow.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20I'm just enjoying my football.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22As long as I'm enjoying it, I'm going to be playing well
0:08:22 > 0:08:25and just, hopefully, it'll continue.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Gareth was always somebody that people were speaking about.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32This fabulous, left-back at the time,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35a young player with bags of energy, enthusiasm.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40And I had no fears of giving Gareth his opportunity.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43He got into the first team and never looked back.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Still only 16, his friends back in Cardiff still sat in a classroom,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Bale had been thrown into the cut and thrust of the Championship.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52COMMENTATOR: Gareth Bale!
0:08:52 > 0:08:55And he scores!
0:08:55 > 0:08:56The second-youngest player
0:08:56 > 0:08:59ever to be picked for Southampton's first team.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05But he wasn't simply a defender doing his best to hold off men
0:09:05 > 0:09:07more than twice his age.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10He was frightening the life out of people further up the pitch.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13COMMENTATOR: Oh! What a strike and what a goal!
0:09:15 > 0:09:18He was scoring goals and turning heads.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19And he was getting stronger.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Players just wondered who this player was.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Previously, they'd been able to brush him off the ball.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Whereas now, all of a sudden,
0:09:28 > 0:09:30all they could see was the number on his back.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34COMMENTATOR: Bale is up for this one! And scores!
0:09:36 > 0:09:39By the end of his first full season at Southampton,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Bale had made a name for himself.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44He'd played more than 40 first-team games and scored five goals.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47The country had taken notice.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51But Bale would soon be exposed to an even wider audience
0:09:51 > 0:09:54as another Cardiff man, John Toshack,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56pulled Bale through the Wales ranks
0:09:56 > 0:09:58and into his senior national team.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01The manager was always very protective.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04I remember Wales picking him for the full squad
0:10:04 > 0:10:06and he was playing every game in the Championship.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09And I wanted John Toshack to say,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12"Let him settle down before pushing him straight in there."
0:10:12 > 0:10:15But John pushed him straight in there and he coped with it all.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18If we weren't thinking of using him at some stage,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22we wouldn't have asked him to come back over.
0:10:22 > 0:10:23He looks the part.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26He's played the last few games at Southampton.
0:10:26 > 0:10:27You can see he's, er...
0:10:28 > 0:10:30..you know, he's well educated.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33His habits are the right ones, the ones that we like.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36True to his word, Toshack brought Bale off the bench
0:10:36 > 0:10:40for a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago. Another milestone.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43COMMENTATOR: Gareth Bale becomes Wales' youngest ever international.
0:10:43 > 0:10:4716 years and 315 days.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Wales' celebrated wonderkid.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Bale had taken the record off another famous left-winger
0:10:54 > 0:10:57who'd grown up just three miles across Cardiff from him, Ryan Giggs.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02Comparisons with the Manchester United star would be inevitable.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06COMMENTATOR: Good ball through from Bale here.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08It might just have won the game!
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Unfazed on the big stage, Bale had set up the winning goal.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19"Gareth Bale, record breaker." How does that feel?
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Obviously, it's good. I enjoyed every minute of the game.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24I'm just happy to get on, really.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27What has it been like the last few days with the senior squad?
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Obviously, it's just a new experience for me.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31And I just enjoy every minute of it.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Just being around all the big players and that, so it's good, yeah.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37You've broken the Welsh record. Ryan Giggs held this record.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Just how does it make you feel?
0:11:39 > 0:11:42I wasn't expecting all this this year, so, yeah, I'm proud
0:11:42 > 0:11:44and my parents obviously are proud of me,
0:11:44 > 0:11:46so I just want to build on from here now.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51Please welcome the two teams for today's match...
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Five months later, he made a stunning return to the Wales team.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56This time, picked from the start
0:11:56 > 0:11:59and a European qualifier against Slovakia -
0:11:59 > 0:12:02an early demonstration of why his left boot
0:12:02 > 0:12:04would become one of the most precious
0:12:04 > 0:12:07and sought-after commodities in world football.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11At 17, the youngest player to score for the full Wales team.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14COMMENTATOR: It will be Bale!
0:12:14 > 0:12:18Oh! What a way to get off the mark for Wales!
0:12:18 > 0:12:23And the only thing worth remembering from a miserable 5-1 thrashing.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25There was only a brief overlap
0:12:25 > 0:12:29between the start of Bale's Wales career and the end of Giggs'.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31So it was like the Changing of the Guard.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Out went one world-class superstar...
0:12:33 > 0:12:35COMMENTATOR: Oh, stunning!
0:12:35 > 0:12:37..in came another left-sided, leading man,
0:12:37 > 0:12:3916 years younger than Giggs,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42who could sprinkle the same kind of stardust
0:12:42 > 0:12:44just by turning up for duty.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47The goal against Slovakia underlined the suspicion -
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Bale was destined for the highest level.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53His CV was expanding as fast as his list of admirers.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55But he was still only 17.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59He was still a Southampton player...just.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02He had so much ability and flare.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05And something you don't see in many young players.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08It was a case of wanting to hang on to him.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11And I felt the longer we held on to him, the better we'd get.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Predictably, bigger clubs
0:13:13 > 0:13:16were starting to show strong interest in Bale.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19He was linked with Arsenal and Manchester United.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Initially, Southampton fought off attempts
0:13:22 > 0:13:24to poach their prized asset.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27But just as Spurs couldn't afford to turn down Madrid's millions,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30and after a four-month standoff,
0:13:30 > 0:13:34Southampton eventually accepted a £10 million offer from Spurs
0:13:34 > 0:13:35for the Welshman.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Money talked. The player wanted to go.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43We weren't going to let Gareth go for less.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45He had fantastic ability
0:13:45 > 0:13:48and he wasn't the finished article.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51To think, in April 2006,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55he makes his league debut in Southampton's first team.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00To think, in May 2007, he signs for Tottenham.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03You know, what a story that is.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Everyone knew he was the best attacking player
0:14:08 > 0:14:10from that position of left-back in the country.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14It wasn't difficult. It was just that Tottenham took the plunge.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18And they were persuaded - the scout at the time, Eddie Presland,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20he was the one that came back and said,
0:14:20 > 0:14:22"Yes, we should take the chance."
0:14:22 > 0:14:24It was big money for a young boy.
0:14:24 > 0:14:25And Daniel Levy was brave enough
0:14:25 > 0:14:27to open the purse and to take the plunge.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30From debut to departure,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34Southampton had barely got a year's service from Bale.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37For the player, though, this was the Premier League.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38A shot at the big time.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42He could have gone to Manchester United,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45but Spurs offered a more realistic hope
0:14:45 > 0:14:46of regular first-team football.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Are you confident you've made the right decision in coming to White Hart Lane?
0:14:52 > 0:14:54I'm confident I've made the right decision.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57It's obviously a big club. Just a lot of potential.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00And hopefully, we can fulfil that and hopefully I can be a part of it.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03I think it was the best choice in the long run.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05At least he's going to get some football here at a young age.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08I think he's got the right choice there.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10It is what dreams are made of, isn't it?
0:15:10 > 0:15:12You know, actually playing here.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15I know his ultimate goal was to play in the Premiership,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19but we didn't think it would come this soon.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22COMMENTATOR: Bale! Now, Berbatov must be offside in the middle!
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Bale doesn't need it!
0:15:24 > 0:15:27It wasn't quite a dream debut for Bale at Spurs,
0:15:27 > 0:15:28but it was pretty close.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32A week after his Premier League debut against Manchester United,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36in only his second appearance, Bale got his first Tottenham goal.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38COMMENTATOR: He's a real talent, this kid.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42That's why Tottenham forked out the millions that they did.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Still an attacking fullback, now the Spurs fans
0:15:45 > 0:15:48could really see what this kid from Cardiff was all about.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50A superstar in the making.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53But to his friends, he was just the same old Gareth.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Clean-living and dedicated to the game.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59When he first signed for Tottenham, I'm a massive Spurs fan, I couldn't believe it.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02It was crazy watching Sky Sports the first time he was on there
0:16:02 > 0:16:04and he was playing for Tottenham.
0:16:04 > 0:16:05When you look back now
0:16:05 > 0:16:09and you look at what attributes you need to make the top,
0:16:09 > 0:16:13physically, you know, mentally and your attitude, professionalism,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16now it doesn't surprise me to see what he's doing.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19You know, he doesn't drink alcohol or anything like that.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21He's certainly not one that wants to make headlines
0:16:21 > 0:16:23for any wrong reasons.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27He purely lets his football do his talking for him.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31COMMENTATOR: Away from Bale, who committed himself to that tackle
0:16:31 > 0:16:34and will definitely get a card for lunging in.
0:16:34 > 0:16:35And a red card!
0:16:35 > 0:16:38After a promising start to his Spurs career,
0:16:38 > 0:16:39everything that could go wrong
0:16:39 > 0:16:42did go wrong for Bale at White Hart Lane.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45Gareth Bale, who - I think - is a really good player,
0:16:45 > 0:16:46has lost his way.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Ultimately, at that time, he was in and out the team
0:16:52 > 0:16:54and whenever he played, they never won.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57I think it was...I'm not sure of the figure,
0:16:57 > 0:16:59but it was something like 24, 25 games,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01around that amount of games,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03when he'd never been on a winning team.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Poor Gareth Bale, who's equalled a Premier League record now -
0:17:06 > 0:17:0821 games for Tottenham without a win.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10His manager's looking at the team sheet
0:17:10 > 0:17:12for next week and going, "Shall we play him?"
0:17:12 > 0:17:14I remember Alex Ferguson saying to me at Old Trafford,
0:17:14 > 0:17:16he said, "I wouldn't play him."
0:17:16 > 0:17:18He said, "I'm superstitious."
0:17:18 > 0:17:19He said, "I'd..."
0:17:19 > 0:17:22And I'm superstitious as well and I'm thinking, "Well..."
0:17:22 > 0:17:24But finally, I got him on into a game.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27I think we were winning 3-0 or something.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28I forget who it was against now,
0:17:28 > 0:17:33but I brought him on, so that finished that episode.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36COMMENTATOR: And here is a nice moment for Gareth Bale.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39He's never appeared on a winning team for Spurs in the Premier League
0:17:39 > 0:17:43and that run will come to an end at the 25th attempt.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51In a difficult season, there was even talk Bale would be loaned out
0:17:51 > 0:17:55or sold for a fraction of what Spurs paid for him.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58I heard rumours about loaning him out or something
0:17:58 > 0:18:00to Notts Forest or something.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Never, ever was it going to happen.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05I'd be lying if I didn't say that there were lots of spells
0:18:05 > 0:18:08where he'd get a little knock in training, he'd limp off,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12the physios would run on to him and fuss over him too much,
0:18:12 > 0:18:13you know?
0:18:13 > 0:18:16In the end, I said, "Look, just leave him. He'll get up on his own."
0:18:16 > 0:18:18And, um...and he did.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21And he's just gone on from there.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23I was still a young boy at the time
0:18:23 > 0:18:26and there was obviously certain aspects I needed to improve
0:18:26 > 0:18:29and I worked hard in training and proved to him
0:18:29 > 0:18:31that I was worthy of a spot on the team.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34And when I did that, he gave me my chance.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38COMMENTATOR: Bale shoots! He's got it! I don't believe it!
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Bale! He's done it again!
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Redknapp brought Bale back into the team.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56This time, further up the field.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01And it proved to be the making of him -
0:19:01 > 0:19:03the transformation of Bale into a superstar.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Once he'd become established in the team, he never looked back.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10And then he was able to produce the performances
0:19:10 > 0:19:12that I think everybody thought he was capable of.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14He did it on a regular basis.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21He was pleasing the crowds and the prizes started to follow.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25The PFA Players' Player of the Year, Gareth Bale.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27APPLAUSE
0:19:27 > 0:19:29If there was a pinnacle to all of it,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32perhaps it came at a Champions League game in Italy.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34A hat-trick against the mighty Inter Milan.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38The night Bale made some of European football's top stars
0:19:38 > 0:19:39look like schoolboys.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42It was that "wow" moment where everyone said,
0:19:42 > 0:19:43"Where's this kid come from?"
0:19:43 > 0:19:46I think he announced himself to the world.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49The world stage saw what potential he had.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52I gave him three days off, four days off last week,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54because I felt he needed a break
0:19:54 > 0:19:58because he'd been playing so well and working so hard.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00I said, "Go abroad for a few days."
0:20:00 > 0:20:03- And he did. He went to Cardiff. - LAUGHTER
0:20:03 > 0:20:05And, um...stayed at his mum's.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09And that's what he's like, you know? he's just a great lad, you know?
0:20:09 > 0:20:14COMMENTATOR: Bale shoots! Oh, what a goal!
0:20:14 > 0:20:15Bale!
0:20:15 > 0:20:19The only thing that might have eclipsed his performances for Spurs,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21his performances for his country.
0:20:21 > 0:20:27COMMENTATOR: Wales are right back on the World Cup trail,
0:20:27 > 0:20:31thanks to their man in a million, Gareth Bale!
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Oh! Stunning! Just magic!
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Wales is a very important part of his life and his career.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40But he's a lovely lad.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44He likes having a laugh and a joke around the rest of his team-mates.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Doesn't expect any preferential treatment
0:20:47 > 0:20:49because he's very, very down to earth.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55He's collected goals from every angle, every distance.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59There were 42 for Spurs, 11 so far for Wales.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01All he's missing, they say, is the ego to match.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Grounded, professional
0:21:03 > 0:21:06and now combining fatherhood with football fame.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13If he keeps improving, who knows where he can get to?
0:21:13 > 0:21:17You know, it's just wonderful, his acceleration, his rise
0:21:17 > 0:21:20in the last, I would say, three seasons.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Particularly the last two seasons.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25And then last year was absolutely incredible.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Now, can he repeat that?
0:21:27 > 0:21:29If he can, absolutely, the sky is the limit.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33Rumours Real Madrid had made Bale their number-one transfer target
0:21:33 > 0:21:36stretched back months into last season.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Clubs and agents haggling over his price
0:21:38 > 0:21:41was music to the ears of the marketing men.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43A footballer of rising stature
0:21:43 > 0:21:45who could help them sell game consoles,
0:21:45 > 0:21:47energy drinks, football boots.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Perhaps you really know you've made it as a sportsperson
0:21:51 > 0:21:55when you're the cover star on glossy magazines like Esquire -
0:21:55 > 0:21:57normally the preserve of showbiz royalty,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00like Daniel Craig, David Bowie, Robbie Williams,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02but never a Welsh footballer.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05When people started talking about him going to Real Madrid,
0:22:05 > 0:22:09I think it became obvious to us that he was a genuine star.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12He definitely made that breakthrough into wider consciousness.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14He was doing commercial endorsement deals,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16he was being talked about on the front page
0:22:16 > 0:22:18rather than just the back page
0:22:18 > 0:22:20and it was all for his exploits on the field.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25He is a fantastic role model,
0:22:25 > 0:22:27a family man who conducts himself in the right way.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30And now he's propelled into the stratosphere
0:22:30 > 0:22:32of being one of the best players in the world.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35So his earning potential is...
0:22:35 > 0:22:36There is no ceiling.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39There are loads of famous footballers.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42That's not enough to guarantee you a career outside football.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43There is something about him.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47There's some sort of sparkle of some sort that people find appealing.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51When Real Madrid or a team like that spends that much money on someone,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53they're not just buying that person to play,
0:22:53 > 0:22:59they're also investing in an image that will sell Madrid as a brand
0:22:59 > 0:23:02to Asia and Africa and all around the world.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05And that's why they make these calculations.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07The question is whether, commercially,
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Bale follows the Beckham path.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Does he put his name to brands,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14or does he become a brand in his own right, as Beckham did?
0:23:14 > 0:23:17I think this young man will be more focused around football.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Once people start buying his shirt wherever he's playing
0:23:21 > 0:23:23and they start following him,
0:23:23 > 0:23:27he'll get invited to go to Asia, Australasia, America
0:23:27 > 0:23:31and then the young man from Wales can do anything he wants to do.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38HE SPEAKS SPANISH
0:23:39 > 0:23:42The world was watching as Bale got what he had wanted.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45The move from London to Madrid -
0:23:45 > 0:23:46fulfilling a childhood dream
0:23:46 > 0:23:50of playing for one of the world's greatest clubs.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54HE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:23:54 > 0:23:56And once it was clear he was going,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59the story moved on to the size of the transfer fee.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02And the question of how any footballer could be worth wages
0:24:02 > 0:24:06of £300,000 a week.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08In my experience with Cristiano Ronaldo,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11I paid £80 million at that time.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14And a lot of people said I was mad.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18You have to wait for the results.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20At that moment, we couldn't say
0:24:20 > 0:24:24if it is worth to pay that amount of money or not.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27A fine life awaits Bale and his young family -
0:24:27 > 0:24:30the glamour, the glitz of a modern European city,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32but when he's at work, how will he settle into
0:24:32 > 0:24:35a dressing room full of egos?
0:24:35 > 0:24:37How will he blend in next to the man he's called The Boss,
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Cristiano Ronaldo?
0:24:39 > 0:24:41The only question mark now, of course,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43is whether he's got the mental strength
0:24:43 > 0:24:45to be able to cope with such a big move
0:24:45 > 0:24:49and the spotlight that will be immense on him over there in Spain.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Because it is different. It's huge.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54And it's whether he can cope with that.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Ability-wise, he is phenomenal.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01The media, they'll go straight for him.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04They're paying a lot of money. They want instant success.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06I went to Italy, it took me two, three games to get going,
0:25:06 > 0:25:08but the media won't give him that chance.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12So in some point, it can be a burden and a problem
0:25:12 > 0:25:14to know that he's a new Galactico,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17in that word that someone used,
0:25:17 > 0:25:23and also that the club paid such a huge amount of money.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27It's one of them things, I just want to get started
0:25:27 > 0:25:29and want to show to everybody at Real Madrid,
0:25:29 > 0:25:32the fans and everybody else, what I can do.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35And I don't think there's any more pressure put on me
0:25:35 > 0:25:36than I put on myself.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40So I'll be going out there knowing what I have to do
0:25:40 > 0:25:44and hopefully I can continue the form from last season
0:25:44 > 0:25:46and get even better.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Gracias por esta gran acogida.
0:25:50 > 0:25:51Hala Madrid!
0:25:51 > 0:25:53APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Bale's not the first Welshman to be tempted abroad.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59In 1957, the Wales legend John Charles
0:25:59 > 0:26:02blazed a trail to Juventus for £65,000 -
0:26:02 > 0:26:05then a record transfer fee for a British player.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08His success in Europe was never really matched
0:26:08 > 0:26:11by the likes of Ian Rush, who also signed for the Italian club,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13or Mark Hughes at Barcelona.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15So what's their advice for Bale?
0:26:15 > 0:26:18When I went out there, I was a young man in terms of being able
0:26:18 > 0:26:20to deal with moving to a new country,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22a new type of football.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24And he needs to be comfortable that he can deal with that.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28But in his brain, it's going to be,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31"I do miss my family. I do miss my friends."
0:26:31 > 0:26:33You can easily pick, when you go abroad,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36there's a lot of false friends that want to be your friends.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40So they are the pitfalls which he needs to suss out, really.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42And, er...if he can do that...
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Because I'm telling you one thing, I'm 100% certain,
0:26:45 > 0:26:46if you're not happy off the pitch,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49you will not produce your best football on the pitch.
0:26:49 > 0:26:50I think if you look back
0:26:50 > 0:26:54at all the English or British players, if you like,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56that have been successful going abroad,
0:26:56 > 0:27:00it's really the ones that have just got themselves into the culture,
0:27:00 > 0:27:04learnt the language and made part of life there enjoyable.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07When I went out there, I was thinking in the back of my mind,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09"Give it two years, I'll be home."
0:27:09 > 0:27:12- Was that what you thought? - Yeah. It's the wrong way to go about it.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14You've got to go there with the intention
0:27:14 > 0:27:16of staying there for as long as you can.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21The Spaniards are going to receive him with open arms.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26With...I insist trying to help him to enjoy life here
0:27:26 > 0:27:30and to be integrated in the team as soon as possible.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32It's a new chapter in my life.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34I think it's definitely important
0:27:34 > 0:27:36to learn the language, learn the culture.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38I think it will be exciting for me to do that.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42I think it'll make me grow up as a person, become a better person.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to the challenge.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48And hopefully, settling down as quick as I can.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53From the parks' pitches of Cardiff
0:27:53 > 0:27:55to a cathedral of football,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58where men are idolised or demonised.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01It's a whole new ball game for El Gales, the Welshman,
0:28:01 > 0:28:05the most expensive footballer who's ever lived.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08He'll be fine. Of course, all the razzmatazz that comes with playing
0:28:08 > 0:28:12for a club like Real Madrid, um...he'll be able to cope with that
0:28:12 > 0:28:15because he's a quiet boy. He doesn't get carried away.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16He's got the platform.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19He's got the stage.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22I think he can take it on board and, er...you know,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24become probably the greatest Welsh player.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26John Charles was my hero.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Maybe Gareth Bale will be the hero of the next generation.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32Good players and very good players, as he is,
0:28:32 > 0:28:34can play anywhere, in any team,
0:28:34 > 0:28:38with any system, with any strategy.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42So I don't see any problem that he's going to be OK in the club.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44And I hope that Real Madrid
0:28:44 > 0:28:48can get, with him, a lot of success and many titles.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51That's what all the followers and fans of Real Madrid are looking for.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Challenges that I've seen him face,
0:28:54 > 0:28:57you know, during his schoolboy years,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00when he went to Tottenham,
0:29:00 > 0:29:03you know, I have no doubt whatsoever
0:29:03 > 0:29:05that he'll continue to have fantastic support
0:29:05 > 0:29:07from his parents, from his family,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10and, listen, I think he'll be a revelation.
0:29:10 > 0:29:11I really do.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15And I'm absolutely thrilled that he's a Welshman.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19That's where I take the pride from. He's a Welshman.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22It's a good time for Welsh football, that's for sure.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25Two teams in the Premier League, Gareth Bale,
0:29:25 > 0:29:28lots of good players coming through.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31The rugby boys had better watch out.