Football’s new pin-up: what’s so special about Gareth Bale?

The 24-year-old became the most expensive player on the planet on Sunday when he joined the Spanish giants.

And if we look back to 2006, when the 16-year-old Southampton defender was snubbed by both Arsenal and Manchester United, it is difficult to imagine how it all happened.

The footballer

Bale was born in Wales in 1989 and attended Whitchurch High School in Cardiff.

He was a keen athlete at school and played football, rugby, hockey and athletics before joining Southampton in 2005.

Making his name alongside Theo Walcott (who now plays for Arsenal), he was snapped up by Tottenham in 2007 for an immediate payment of £5m.

He had a difficult start to life in the top flight. He went two years without a victory and struggled with injury.

Finally, in 2010 things started to turn for Bale. His defining moment came in the Champions League when he scored a hat-trick against Italian giants Inter Milan.

Bale has gone on to become a prolific goalscorer, netting 42 times for Spurs. He won the PFA player of the year award for the second time in 2013.

Until recently he kept a relatively low-profile and is often described as shy and retiring. He lives with his partner Emma Rhys-Jones and ten-month-old daugher Alba Violet.

The rest as they say is history… or rather history to be made.

In moving to Spain, Bale could now be in line to become the next sporting sensation following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham.

The brand

Johnno Spence, CEO at brand consultancy JSC Sport, told Channel 4 News: “Bale first established himself as a footballer on the pitch, and now he is doing so as a brand.”

In June 2013, Bale applied to trademark his “11 of hearts” goal celebration, a heart shape with his shirt number in the centre.

The trademark was approved by the Intellectual Property Office in August 2013. Bale is now free to merchandise his brand alongside his name.

Mr Spence added: “Bale is clearly a very attractive brand. He is clean, consistent and a game changer. He has become enormously popular for the general football lover.

“Commercially it is a good move [for Bale and Madrid]. He could potentially earn £50m very quickly in brand endorsements.There is still an appetite for sports personality brands.”

The pin-up

Again following in the footsteps of Beckham and Ronaldo, Bale appeared on the front cover of men’s lifestyle magazine Esquire in August 2013.

Esquire Editor Alex Bilmes told Channel 4 News: “We chose Gareth Bale because he’s a great story – shy, unassuming Welsh lad overcomes early career disappointments to become world-beating success.”

Despite appearing in the magazine, “Bale is not near Beckham yet” in terms of being a pin-up, Mr Bilmes said.

“I don’t think there will be another Beckham along any time soon. He is an anomaly. He completely transcends his sport.”

But Bale “needs to be able to put across a certain amount of charisma” if he is to become the new Beckham.

Mr Bilmes added: “If he’s sensible he’ll focus on the football, for which he will be paid plenty.”

The athlete

In the mist of sponsorship and magazine deals, it is easy to forget that Bale plies his trade on the pitch.

It is his performances on the field that have made him one of the most sought-after players in the world.

Chris Mann, brand journalist at Prozone Sports, the sporting performance analysts, said: “Gareth Bale is the embodiment of the elite modern player. His senior career has coincided with a period which has seen the physical demands of the game reach unprecedented levels.

“While he is undoubtedly a player with huge natural ability, the timing of his career has meant that he has been able to grow accustomed to the physical challenges of the Premier League from a young age and constantly adapt with each passing season.”

Whether or not Bale reaches the hights of Ronaldo, Messi and Beckham both on and off the pitch remains to be seen. But an £85m price tag is certainly not a bad start.