Gareth Bale could quite easily have choked on the pressure that comes with becoming the world's most expensive ever player, but the £85 million man answered his critics in fine style during his maiden season at Madrid, scoring 15 La Liga goals and netting the crucial goal that sealed his side's comeback in the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid. Bale's input in that game cannot be overstated - with Real trailing 1-0 going into the final minutes of the game, Sergio Ramos clinched a last-gasp equaliser before the Welshman gave his club their first lead of the evening to inspire Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo to go on and complete the scoring in a famous La Decima winning 4-1 victory. He also scored the winning goal in the Copa del Rey final against Valencia to further cement his reputation as a Madrid icon and after just 12 months at the Bernabeu he is already looking like a fantastic signing. His exploits last season have justifiably earned him an increase in rating in FIFA 15, with the ex-Tottenham Hotspur star going up from 87 to 89.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
