The expression "wand of a left foot" is thrown around a lot these days. But when it comes to the Welsh wizard that is Gareth Bale, magic can be conjured up that would make Albus Dumbledore quake in his boots.
While there may still be plenty of life left in the 33-year-old's legs, his time creating moments of wonder on the football pitch is over, as he announced his retirement from club and international football on Monday evening to an outpouring of tributes from Dragons and non-Dragons supporters.
Whether it be for Tottenham Hotspur or Real Madrid - after Wales and golf of course - giving Bale time and space on his left foot would normally only end with the ball soaring into the top corner of the net, as the revered attacker hung up his priceless boots with 185 strikes to his name.
Trying to whittle down Bale's most outrageous strikes to 10 is a thankless task, but Sports Mole has taken on that duty as we pay tribute to perhaps one of the best British footballers to ever grace the shores.
10. West Bromwich Albion - Premier League (February 2, 2013)
Where else to start than with a trademark Bale thunderbolt? Paying a visit to West Bromwich Albion in the 2012-13 Premier League season, Tottenham sought to keep the pressure on capital counterparts Chelsea in the race for a top-three finish.
Not much was going the way of the Lilywhites at the Hawthorns, as West Brom got to half time with their clean sheet intact, but the brilliance of Bale came to the fore with 66 minutes on the clock.
After receiving the ball from Kyle Walker a good 20 yards from goal, Bale comfortably skipped past James Morrison before unleashing a rocket into the top corner in front of the away end.
9. Elche - La Liga (February 22, 2014)
Thoroughly enjoying life at the Santiago Bernabeu as the fresh-faced youngster he was in 2013-14, Bale's 10th goal of his opening La Liga season was one for the ages, and Elche were the unfortunate victims.
After the forgotten man Asier Illarramendi had put Real Madrid ahead in the first half, Bale wanted a slice of the action as the game entered its final 20 minutes, and Xabi Alonso could surely sense where the ball was heading after laying off the Welshman.
Having been afforded far too much time and space a good 35 yards from goal, Bale took one touch before sending an unstoppable effort in off the crossbar. Carlo Ancelotti's reaction was as calm as expected, but even the Italian's eyebrows must have flickered momentarily.
8. Inter Milan - Champions League (October 20, 2010)
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Facing the legendary Maicon and Javier Zanetti at San Siro in 2010 was simply a cakewalk for Bale, who left the turf with his head held high and the match ball under his arm despite a painful defeat on the night.
Tottenham had already conceded four to the Nerazzurri - then defending European champions - but hopes of a late comeback were sparked when Bale left Maicon and Zanetti in his wake with a surging run down the left-hand side.
The Welshman magnificently found the corner from a tight angle before making the net ripple twice more to complete a historic San Siro hat-trick, but his efforts were ultimately in vain.
7. West Ham United - Premier League (February 25, 2013)
Anything that Santi Cazorla could do, Bale could do better, as the Welshman scored close to a carbon copy of the Arsenal man's goal against West Ham United, at Upton Park, at the same end, with the same foot.
Bale had already netted once in that top-flight game before Andy Carroll and Joe Cole put the Hammers on the verge of victory, but Gylfi Sigurdsson managed to draw Spurs level with 14 minutes left to play.
With no fewer than 90 minutes on the clock, Bale received the ball from Tom Carroll, and with no West Ham player willing to close him down, he did the rest with a spectacular effort which swerved into the top corner.
6. Legia Warsaw - Champions League (November 2, 2016)
Playing behind closed doors before COVID-19 reared its ugly head, Real Madrid's Champions League group-stage exploits in 2016-17 took them to Legia Warsaw, who could not even hold out for a minute with Bale on the field.
Only 57 seconds after the first kick of the ball, Cristiano Ronaldo headed on a cross from Toni Kroos into the path of Bale, who briefly readjusted himself before firing a sensational half-volley into the top corner.
Bale would go on to assist Karim Benzema before the hosts fought back to claim a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw, but the rest of that European season worked out relatively well for Los Blancos in the end.
5. Stoke City - Premier League (August 21, 2010)
Rather than doing it on a cold, rainy Tuesday night in Stoke, Bale and Tottenham took a trip to the Potters on a sunny Saturday afternoon in 2010, where the Wales star opened his account for the season the only way he knew how - spectacularly.
Bale had struck the game's first goal with a header before Ricardo Fuller restored parity for the hosts, who soon paid the price for allowing the ex-Tottenham man to ghost in at the back post unchallenged.
Aaron Lennon's cross found Bale, who connected superbly to send a scorching volley just inside the post on the half-hour mark, sealing all three points for the Lilywhites and leaving the home crowd disappointed and dazed in equal measure.
4. Scotland - World Cup 2014 qualifier (October 12, 2012)
While Bale tended to save his goal-of-the-year worthy efforts for games at club level, the 33-year-old was forever capable of working his magic in a Wales jersey and did exactly that versus their near neighbours in 2012.
Facing Scotland in a World Cup qualifier, Wales went behind to a Morrison effort before Bale levelled the scores from the penalty spot, and the last-minute specialist soon sent the Dragons into pandemonium.
After Wales were awarded a free kick inside the centre circle, Bale simply strolled into the final third and pulled the trigger, sending a cannon of a 25-yard effort into, you guessed it, the top corner.
3. Sunderland - Premier League (May 19, 2013)
Scoring one of the best goals that White Hart Lane ever saw was little consolation for Bale on the final day of the 2012-13 Premier League season, with their spot in the Champions League hanging in the balance when Sunderland came to town.
Tottenham had been frustrated for the majority of the contest against the Black Cats, but Bale would come up with his trademark finish to settle the showdown - cutting inside, left-footed shot, 30 yards from goal, no words needed.
The home contingent revelled in witnessing one of Bale's wonder strikes up close, but the Welshman and all others in white were left disconsolate after learning that his thunderbolt was for nought, as Arsenal held off their North London counterparts to finish fourth.
2. Barcelona - Copa del Rey (April 16, 2014)
Since when has playing inside the lines of a football pitch ever been fun? When an extra yard of space was literally needed in the 85th minute of the 2014 Copa del Rey final, Bale stepped foot into the technical area as part of his astounding winner.
With the match delicately poised at 1-1, Bale knocked the ball past Marc Bartra and used more than the full width of the pitch to evade the Spaniard's efforts to block him off, before returning to the greenest turf and continuing his surging run into the penalty area.
Finally poking the ball through the legs of Jose Pinto, Bale wheeled away in ecstasy as the injured Ronaldo cut an elated figure from the stands, winning his first major trophy at club level in the process.
1. Liverpool - Champions League (May 26, 2018)
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It is sometimes easy to overlook Real Madrid's second goal in their 2018 Champions League final win over Liverpool, where Bale provided the good, and Loris Karius the bad and the ugly.
In between the Germany goalkeeper's two infamous errors - the first of which allowed Karim Benzema to stroke home the opening goal - Sadio Mane had levelled for Liverpool to make the Kyiv event that little bit more interesting.
The 64-minute mark then arrived, as did a cross from Marcelo into the Liverpool box. The Brazilian's delivery was seemingly too low to fashion a chance from, but Bale sensed an opportunity for heroism and picked out the top corner with a phenomenal overhead kick.
While the Welshman may have felt slightly apprehensive about celebrating his second goal on the night - the long-range effort which Karius badly misjudged - images of the Welsh wizard's belly-slide across the turf will forever be entrenched into the memories of football fans.
Ben Knapton
