Updated at 19.23
GARETH BALE HAS finally moved to Real Madrid for a reported fee of €100million euros, it has today been announced by the Spanish club.
In a statement on the Spurs website, Gareth Bale said:
“I have had six very happy years at Tottenham but it’s the right time to say goodbye. We’ve had some special times together over the years and I’ve loved every minute of it.
“I am not sure there is ever a good time to leave a club where I felt settled and was playing the best football of my career to date. I know many players talk of their desire to join the club of their boyhood dreams, but I can honestly say, this is my dream come true.
“I am well aware that I would not be at the level I am today were it not for firstly Southampton and then Spurs standing by me during some of the tougher times and affording me the environment and support they have.“Tottenham will always be in my heart and I’m sure that this season will be a successful one for them. I am now looking forward to the next exciting chapter in my life, playing football for Real Madrid.”
Meanwhile, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy added:
“Gareth was a player we had absolutely no intention of selling as we look to build for the future. He is a player whose career we have fostered and developed and he was only a year into his new four year contract.
“Such has been the attention from Real Madrid and so great is Gareth’s desire to join them, that we have taken the view that the player will not be sufficiently committed to our campaign in the current season.
“We have, therefore, with great reluctance, agreed to this sale and do so in the knowledge that we have an exceptionally strong squad to which we have added no fewer than seven top internationals. More importantly, we have an immense team spirit and a dressing room that is hungry for success.
The Welsh international has been consistently linked with the move over the course of the summer, with the deal finally completed following intensive and protracted negotiations between Tottenham and Real.
Bale makes the switch to La Liga after a series of memorable seasons at Tottenham, in which he has been named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in both 2011 and 2013.
The 24-year-old was last season credited with spearheading Tottenham’s ultimately unsuccessful top-four challenge, scoring 21 goals in 33 appearances in the league.
Bale?? Gone?? Well the two clubs involved kept that well under their hats.
It’s the best kept secret since pat Kenny left rte
Pat Kenny left RTÉ?
All was to be revealed on transfer deadline day. Jim White sure will be pi$$ed off about that.
Goodbye and no good luck. The most over priced mistake ever in sport. And as for spurs there is only one team in London and thats Arsenal.Always the bride maid 1 nil to the arsenal
Pat Kenny went to Real Madrid and Bale is now with RTE ?
Kenny had a bail out? Bloody NAMA!
Bale 80 – 100 mill. Football has gone mad. Best of luck to him, but he’s worth 35mill at most.
Exactly what I was thinking john. No players worth that.
It’s madness, Spain is in the depths of a recession that makes Ireland’s look like a minor blip and Real have just spent 100million on a 35 million euro player. Insanity.
Agree 100%. The dudes way over priced!!
100 million euro!, pah, thats only 10million stirling.
How much was RVP? Also £40mill plus a pound for Suarez seems peanuts now…. This stupid transfer inflates everything…. Madrid 2nd again…. Spurs, maybe 5th again….
Bale has gone from Spearheading an unsuccessful challenge to a challenge that could destroy his career.
Wish him all the best but Madrid is a poisoned chalice.
300k a week for 6 years. The lad is made.
It will be 170,000 after tax.
Yearly: £15,600,000
Monthly: £1,200,000
Weekly: £300,000
Daily: £42,857
Hourly: £2,040
Minute: £34
Just because real paid €100 million euro for bale on a 6 year contract does not mean that bale will get €100 million over 6 years.
A lot of that money was to buy out bales contact.
Nothing to do with his salary.
300, 000 x 52 weeks
or
1, 200, 000 x 12 months??
Who nicked 1.2 million on the poor guy?
“Poisoned chalice”??
He is joining one of the finest clubs in the world, will be treated like a god, earn an absolute fortune, win plenty of cups, play in what is arguably the best rivalry in the sport and challenge for the champs league every single year.
Its a great move for him. As a Real fan i just hope the weight of expectation and the fee paid doesn’t stifle him. He is certainly not worth anything close to 100 mil
Shame they couldn’t drag it out for another day and throw in a bit of doubt just for those skysportnews boys to wet themselves as the clock ticked down.
Ya didn’t happen to stroke that from another thread now did ya
Thank f#%k ..finally !! And that’s from a spurs fan!
My taughts and prayers go out to Spurs family!
The Premierships loss and Spurs downfall.
No man is worth than money it’s crazy
He’s a Welshman and worth every penny !
@ Nelly, professional soccer is a business more than a sport, players are assets to be maximised like any other
That’s a disgustingly obscene amount of money
Perfect for Madrid, all flare and no substance, and that ridiculous heart shape he makes when he scores is cringe worthy.
Some bruised egos in that Madrid dressing room!!
I also hope for Bale’s sake he develops a thick skin or else that club will swallow him!
Yes the petulant one won’t like his title as worlds most expensive player being taken away.
I can see him getting chopped to pieces over there. He’ll learn to improve h8s diving too
Makes the Neymar transfer look like a bargain compared to this.
One or two good seasons does not a 100 million pound footballer make
Looks like it does.
Madness though Diarmuid
Madness alright Leslie and definitely not worth it.
If he’s worth €100m its frightening to think what Messi is valued. Just scored a hat trick in first half against Valencia.
500m at that rate
Great player last season but far too much money spent on him.
Ridiculous amount for any player but this guy isn’t worth that,no one is.€40 mil at most and he might just tank for Madrid.On the other hand I see Spurs have already spent the money….but it didn’t seem to make any difference against their biggest rivals today….c’mon the Cheapskates, I mean Gunners !!!
Well based on today it wasn’t spent very well. The best “new” signing on the field was Mathieu Flamini who Arsenal got on a Free Transfer!
And with that, the transfer flood gates will open…
Thought they already had at Spurs!
They better confirm that fee,aching to find out!!
100 million euro fee has been confirmed.
I hate to be so pragmatic but he’s an investment. If he can make the club tens of millions beyond what they paid then he’s worth it. What I can’t wait for is seeing him and Ronaldo together. Ron looked like a scolded child playing today for Madrid; I’d say his ego has taken a hammering!
Thats the cheesiest grin ive ever seen.
€100M is beyond words, no one is worth that
In the top 5 transfer values involving Irish players 3 belong to Robbie Keane, 2 belong to Damien Duff.
And 1 belongs to Aiden McGeady…
He’s 6th on the list
Thought there was a recession and massive unemployment in Spain? Talk about insensitive
Bale’s wage breakdown at Madrid:
Yearly: £15,600,000
Monthly: £1,200,000
Weekly: £300,000
Daily: £42,857
Hourly: £2,040
Minute: £34
Is that before or after his accountant has got around the Spanish tax system.
That’s also presuming he works a 24h day for the minutes, hours etc. I’m assuming!
If he had my looks he would make at least double that.
And I have no doubt his agent will get his hands on some.
I seen somewhere Rooneys agent takes 10% of his wages. Madness really.
I wish Bale every success but he could easily end up like Kaka.
Still think this is a bad move for him but thank god this saga is over.
Wales have a player valued at 100 million, and yet their record at international level is even worse than ours,i dont think our 22 man squad would be worth that.
Ed Balls
It’s all down to ZZ. One of the greatest on the field, but watching Bale from Spain on match of the day does not make him 100 mill of a player. But I could be wrong.
Ridiculous amount of money for one individual, even more ridiculous when you think of the talent on show in Croke Park today by lads who wouldn’t earn what Bale will reputable earn in a week over a few years.
What happened in Croke Park?
Jaysus lord of the rings didnt last that long! Money being spent in football is just wrong.
He was spurs’ second choice full back only 2 years ago.
The big problem is will Gareth Bale become someone who only went to Madrid for the money? That even if they don’t win a single trophy this season, he can at least take whatever amount of money he’ll earn weekly home with him? I cannot believe that he was valued at 100 million euros! That’s almost, if not exactly as much as a quarter of a stadium! Madrid might as well have gone and raised the capacity of the Bernabeu with that amount of money! I have a sinking feeling that this will all go to his head, and like many players, he has so much talent as a footballer but will hit the headlines for perhaps all the wrong reasons!
The market is inflated due to lack of quality simple as that. Mediocre players still command big wages fees etc. Madrid know this and eliminate the wheat from the chaff by paying over the odds. Zidane won them the champions league a few years ago with one strike and repaid a 50m transfer fee in doing so. They are no fools.
Obscene. If Bale is worth 15 million a year, Colm Cooper, Jack Mc Caffrey, McMenamon, Darran and Declan O Sullivan should be on 50 million each. World gone mad.
Good luck to him
D man played one good season n now he’s worth a mint..don’t think he’ll be able for Spanish football he gunna have a bad season this year
€100 million? Are they for real? Waste I money
Only Madrid is Mad enough to pay 2x price for what’s his worth. Super deal for Brits.
This is an obscene waste of money
Spurs would be stupid to turn down that kind of money for a good player not a great player! He is no ronaldo.