MX23RW : Tuesday, December 24 01:20:12| >> :600:93936:93936:

Gareth Bale named Welsh Player of the Year

Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale is named as the Welsh Player of the Year for a third time.

Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale has been named as the Welsh Player of the Year for a third time.

Bale was in scintillating form for both Tottenham Hotspur and Wales last season, scoring 31 goals in 53 appearances for club and country.

That form prompted Real Madrid to part with a world-record fee of £85m to secure his signature this summer, although his early career in the Spanish capital has been interrupted by injury.

Bale, who also won the PFA and FWA Player of the Year awards this year, picked up the Welsh gong to draw level with the likes of John Hartson and Mark Hughes as players to have won it three times.

The 24-year-old was also named the Fans' Player of the Year, and manager Chris Coleman backed him to get even better at Madrid.

"Gareth's definitely one of the best players I've seen. I've had the fortune of being up close and personal with him in training and he's a player that can take your breath away," Coleman said at the ceremony.

"In two or three seconds, he will do something that nobody else can do. He's a special player. He's serious about Wales, he's a Cardiff boy and patriotic and what he does for Welsh football is raise the interest in football for our country. He's brought that for us.

"He's a great player - and I still think he's getting better because of his age. He'll only get better working under a manager like Carlo Ancelotti and playing for Real Madrid with players like Cristiano Ronaldo."

Swansea City duo Ben Davies and Ashley Williams also picked up awards, claiming the Young Player of the Year and Club Player of the Year gongs respectively.

ID:109819: cacheID:109819:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3073:
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Debutant Gareth Bale celebrates his first goal for Real Madrid following a tap-in against Villarreal on September 14, 2013
Read Next:
Bale named in Wales squad
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Atletico MadridAtletico18125133122141
2Real Madrid18124241182340
3Barcelona19122551222938
4Athletic Bilbao19106329171236
5Villarreal188643430430
6Mallorca199371921-230
7Real Sociedad187471613325
8GironaGirona187472625125
9Real BetisBetis186752122-125
10Osasuna186752327-425
11Celta Vigo187382728-124
12Rayo Vallecano185762021-122
13Las PalmasLas Palmas186482327-422
14Sevilla186482027-722
15Leganes184681728-1118
16AlavesAlaves184592130-917
17Getafe183781115-416
18Espanyol1843111630-1415
19Valencia172691626-1012
20Real ValladolidValladolid1833121237-2512


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!