Gareth Bale has silenced the naysayers who predicted that he would go the same way as other big-money Madrid signings like Kaka and Wesley Sneijder and fall a long way short of expectation. Indeed, with the Welshman costing a record-breaking 100-million expectations were, as you might expect, astronomically high. In his debut season at the Bernabéu the 24-year-old has certainly not disappointed and has proven in many peoples opinions to be worth every penny of the kings ransom the European powerhouse paid for him. Many Spurs fans must have been gleefully rubbing their hands together as they received the largest sum ever paid for a player who had been rated 87, ranking him a humble 17th in the list of the games greatest players. However, even with all that money, Spurs have proven unable to fill the void left by the departure of Bale and the undeniably match-winning qualities he brings to a team. Utilising his blistering speed and acceleration to hurtle down an opponents wing, Bale often likes to cut back in before unloading his howitzer of a left-boot. Bale unquestionably has stepped up to the taller demands of Real Madrid and deserves a spot among the top-10 players.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
