Gareth Bale scores first professional league goal

Old Golden Bales

Remember the 2016 European championships? No, me neither! Mainly because they were AGES ago and weren’t that interesting. Oh, and Portugal won. However, for a brief spell there we were all enthralled by those plucky underdogs of Iceland (with their special clap) and, perhaps even pluckier, Wales. And the ‘Gallant Dragons’ as they are known by no one, did so brilliantly thanks to the inclusion of their golden booted wunderkind Gareth Bale.

And August 6th 2006 is a very special date in young Gareth’s career. It was on this prestigious occasion that he scored his first professional league goal for Southampton, where he started his career. Unsurprisingly, it was a free kick against the mighty Derby County that opened his account. Soon he was firing in goals willy-nilly, getting transferred to Spurs then Real Madrid, winning awards and plaudits and becoming a fully fledged Welsh hero. Even with his man bun.