Remembering Gareth Bale's incredible 2012/13 season | OneFootball

Gareth Bale‘s shock retirement at the age of just 33 brings down the curtain on a marvellous and trophy-laden career.

The Welshman started out as a promising left-back at Southampton, before blossoming into one of the world’s best wingers during his time at Tottenham and Real Madrid. With the latter, he scored over 100 goals and won the Champions League on five separate occasions, scoring in two finals.

His move to Madrid came on the back of Bale’s stunning 2012/13 campaign, when his performances almost led Spurs back to Europe’s elite. Real paid a then world-record fee to capture his services, which shows just how good he was.

But just how impressive was he in the season before his Madrid switch? We take a look at those fantastic ten months.

Transfermarkt for consistency.

Bale’s brilliant solo strike against Norwich in January

Bale was often needed to come to the rescue of the Lilywhites, just like he did at Carrow Road in January. Spurs were trailing 1-0 to the Canaries with a little over ten minutes left when Bale started a run from just inside his own half.

Norwich’s Alexander Tettey seemed intent on bringing his opponent down, but Bale shook off his lunge with relative ease as he hit his stride. At that point, he could sense the fear of the defenders as they backed off, allowing him to break into the penalty area.

Then, with one touch inside and a toe poke into the far corner, Norwich goalkeeper Mark Bunn was beaten and Spurs were back on level terms, going on to pick up a point.

Bale’s stunning goal for Tottenham vs West Ham in February

Bale produced several fantastic moments throughout the campaign, but few stood out as much as his strike versus West Ham in February.

With the game seemingly heading towards a 2-2 draw, the forward picked up the ball midway into the opposing half with less than 60 seconds of normal time remaining. He was first fouled but, as the ball fell to a teammate, the referee waved play on.

Instead of staying down and protesting, Bale was straight back on his feet to receive possession once more. This time, no Hammers defender could get near him as he took four touches before firing an unstoppable effort into the top corner from all of 35 yards. A truly magnificent effort from a player at the top of his game.

Bale’s final goal for Tottenham in May before joining Real Madrid

In the final minute of the final game of the 2012/13 Premier League term, Bale netted his last goal for Tottenham before his move to Real.

Again, it was a strike that had a direct impact on the result as Spurs beat Sunderland 1-0, even if it wasn’t enough to secure a top four spot.

In typical Bale fashion, it was a stunning strike, as he curled the ball into the top corner from 25 yards, leaving Simon Mignolet with no chance. Although it was ultimately in vain, the goal was a wonderful parting gift for the adoring White Hart Lane crowd.

Bale’s 2012/13 stats

Bale had been steadily improving at Tottenham following his move from the Saints in 2007, but until 2012/13, he had never scored more than 12 goals across all competitions during a single campaign. That, however, was about to radically change.

In the Premier League alone, the Wales international scored 21 times in 33 outings, racking up eight assists too as Tottenham narrowly missed out on the top four. That was not all, though – in 11 games combined across the Europa League, League Cup and F.A Cup, Bale amassed a further five goals and six assists.

He was also influential on the international stage, scoring four times in seven outings as Wales went in search of clinching a World Cup spot, which they ultimately failed to do.

What did Bale win during the 2012/13 season?

Unfortunately for Bale and his Tottenham teammates, they went ended the term empty-handed. They finished fifth in the top flight, 17 points behind champions Manchester United, while they were defeated in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

There were similarly early exits in the League Cup and F.A Cup – they lost 2-1 to Norwich City in the last 16 and 2-1 to Leeds United in the fourth round respectively.

On an individual level, though, it was a lucrative season in terms of awards for the then 23-year-old. Although he finished third in the Premier League Golden Boot race behind Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez, he won the Premier League Player of the Year, PFA Players’ Player of the Year, PFA Young Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year awards. Unsurprisingly, he was also included in the Premier League Team of the Season and also took home Tottenham’s Player of the Season award.