With Gareth Bale, a detour can become a shortcut. The Welsh striker shocked the world of football on this rainy evening of April 16, 2014. The city of Valencia receives Real Madrid and FC Barcelona at the Mestalla stadium, for an enticing final of the King's Cup. Without Cristiano Ronaldo injured, the Merengues count more than ever on Gareth Bale, recruited the previous summer for almost € 100M. And the Tottenham elder will prove them right.
"It seems that his past as an athlete helped him in this action."
Usain Bolt10 minutes before the end of the match, this Clasico takes the road to extra time. Real opened the scoring with Angel Di Maria (11th) before Marc Batra equalized with a header. On a left ball from Fabio Coentrão on the left, the Portuguese pitcher Gareth Bale. The Welshman, at the height of the halfway line, pushes the ball away and accelerates. In the duel with Marc Bartra, Bale largely bypasses him on his left, to the point of crossing the touchline and crossing the technical zone of the Barcelona coach, Gerardo Martino. He was however the first on the ball and outstripped Bartra on entering the area. Then he adjusts José Manuel Pinto with a shot between the legs (85th, 2-1). Barça will not recover and sees Real Madrid win the King's Cup, with a Cristiano Ronaldo filled in the stands.
Bale's goal against Barça in April 2014
Xabi Alonso has "never seen anything like it"
The next day, Marca is rave about the victorious goal, titling "Gareth Bolt" in reference to the Jamaican sprinter. "This is the kind of goal that a sprinter dreams of scoring a day," reveals Usain Bolt in the columns of the Madrid daily. It seems that his past as an athlete helped him in this action. ” Renowned for his speed since the start of his career, Bale was indeed brilliant in athletics in high school before turning to football. "I scored a similar goal for Wales not too long ago," said the main player after the match. I was just trying to go around my defender and get the ball. ”
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His Spanish teammate, Xabi Alonso, can't stop praising the star of the day: “The goal is incredible. I have never seen anything like it. The ball seemed to go out, it was under pressure. He went out of bounds to keep it in play. It was fantastic. ” Their coach, Carlo Ancelotti, insists on the timing of the goal, "at the most crucial moment of the match". For his assistant Paul Clement, "playing 84 minutes and doing this kind of acceleration" proves that he is "a world class player". Gareth Bale then specialized in goals in the final, as in the Champions League the following month against Atlético de Marid (4-1), or his acrobatic return against Liverpool in 2018 (3-1).
Bale's return to the 2018 Champions League final against Liverpool
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