Gareth Bale

Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Wales national team. Bale began his professional career with Championship side Southampton in 2005 and was transferred to Tottenham two years later.
Bale was born in Cardiff to parents Frank, a school caretaker, and Debbie, an operations manager; he attended Eglwys Newydd Primary School at Whitchurch. He is the nephew of former Cardiff City footballer Chris Pike. It was while at this school he first came to the attention of Southampton at nine years old, when he was playing in a six-a-side tournament with his first club, Cardiff Civil Service Football Club.[6] Growing up his football hero was fellow Welshman and Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs.

On 17 April 2006, at the age of 16 years and 275 days, Bale became the second youngest player ever to play for Southampton (after Theo Walcott, who was 132 days younger) when he made his debut in the Saints' 2-0 victory against Millwall. On 6 August, Bale scored his first league goal, a free kick, to level the score at 1–1 against Derby County. The final score at Pride Park was 2–2.[
On 25 May 2007, Bale signed a four-year deal with Tottenham Hotspur with Spurs paying an initial £5 million for Bale, potentially rising to £10 million based on appearances and success.[20] However, Tottenham paid Southampton an early settlement payment of £2 million in 2008 to reduce the final fee to £7 million and allow the Saints the immediate cash that they desperately needed.
Bale was selected by Wales at the end of the 2005–06 season and made his international debut on 27 May 2006.[47] He first appeared as a substitute in a 2–1 win over Trinidad and Tobago, making him the youngest ever player to play for Wales.[48] Bale, who was just 16 years and 315 days, assisted the winning goal scored by Robert Earnshaw.