On 1 September 2013, Spanish side Real Madrid announced that they had reached an agreement for the transfer of Bale,[94][95] signing a six-year deal for an undisclosed fee. The Spanish press (and Real Madrid TV) reported that Bale had cost £77 million (€91 million), while the British press reported a world record transfer fee of £85.3 million (€100 million), which would be above Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer record fee of £80 million (€94 million).[6][7][8][9][10] Bale was assigned the number 11 shirt at Madrid.[96]
2013–14 season
The first half of Bale's season was plagued by injuries; of Real's first sixteen games after his signing, Bale missed five and was substituted on or off in six others, playing only five full games.[97][98]
Bale scored on his Real Madrid debut, a goal coming in the 38th minute against Villarreal, before being substituted later in the game for Ángel di María.[99] Bale's second appearance for Madrid came in a 6–1 victory over Galatasaray in theChampions League. Although Bale only played the final twenty-six minutes, his free-kick led to Cristiano Ronaldo's second goal of the game.[100] On 28 September 2013, Bale made his home debut as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 loss to local rivals Atlético Madrid.[101]
Due to a recurring thigh injury he suffered during pre-season, Bale missed the first two games of October, againstCopenhagen and Levante.[102] Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti continued to gradually ease him back into action, as he played 14 minutes against Málaga on 19 October. He won a stoppage time penalty which Ronaldo scored to give Madrid a 2–0 victory.[103] Following another brief appearance against Juventus in the Champions League,[104] Bale made his El Clásico debut on 26 October, but was substituted in the 61st minute. Barcelona won the game 2–1, and Bale's performance drew criticism from certain sections of the media.[105] Four days later, he scored two goals and assisted two in a 7–3 victory against Sevilla. Following his impressive performance the Spanish press nicknamed Bale "The Cannon".[106]
In November, he assisted a further two goals in Madrid's 3–2 victory over Rayo Vallecano,[107] before scoring in a 2–2 draw with Juventus in the Champions League.[108] On 9 November, Bale assisted Sami Khedira's goal in a 5–1 win over Real Sociedad.[109] On 23 November, Bale scored his fourth league goal in eight games as Madrid defeated Almería 5–0.[110] He then scored a dipping free-kick against Galatasaray in the Champions League, a match which Madrid won 4–1 despite being a man down.[111] On 30 November, Bale rounded off the month with his first hat-trick for Real Madrid, as well as assisting Karim Benzema, in a 4–0 victory over Real Valladolid. It was a "perfect hat-trick": one goal with a header and one with each foot.[112]
On 26 February 2014, he scored twice in Real Madrid's 6–1 win against Schalke in the Champions League round-of-16 first leg.[113] He then scored one of the team's three goals in a 3–0 quarter-final defeat of Borussia Dortmund on 2 April, taking him to five Champions League goals for the season.[114] In La Liga, he scored four goals in three matches between gameweeks 31 and 33, as Real Madrid defeated Rayo Vallecano (5–0),[115] Real Sociedad (4–0)[116] and Almería (4–0).[117]
On 16 April, Bale scored the winning goal for Real Madrid in the final of the Copa del Rey against rivals Barcelona.[118] The goal was his 20th of the season and his first in a Clásico fixture.[119]
On 24 May, Bale scored the second goal against city rivals Atlético Madrid in the 2014 UEFA Champions League Final in the 110th minute of the extra time period making him the first Welshman to score in a European Cup or Champions League final. He finished his debut season with 22 goals and 16 assists in all competitions.
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