Was Gareth Bale World Class?

No doubt he was World Class on his day, but when looking back over his career as a whole, will he be remembered as a World Class footballer?

Does his long list of honors and impressive goalscoring record automatically qualify him for World Class status?

Or did his poor injury record, crippling Golf addiction and the manner in which his career started to fizzle out at the top level at a relatively young age change your overall perspective of him as a footballer?

Never seen enough of him to give a proper opinion but from what I did see he was a very good player. However, world class might be a bit of a stretch: if you look at it objectively and made a list of the best 50 players from the last ten years would he make that list? And realistically there’d only be ten genuinely “world class” players in that list and I doubt he’d make that:

I like golf so went for that.

https://www.utdforum.com/forum/showp...1&postcount=12

I should receive credit for my work.

Would seem something of a pointless exercise in the absence of criteria about what is or isn't meant by 'world class'

Of course he was ffs

I just don’t see how standing out for the Wales national side makes someone world class. He was Wales class, but not world class.

Ronaldo, Benzema, Kroos, Modric were all better than him, and that’s just one team.

A great player, no doubt about that, but not one of the worlds best.

Underrated if anything. A freak of nature.

Ronaldo aside I Would have taken him over any of Utd's signings from the past 20 years.

Very, very good player but world class? You don’t score about 100 goals for RM if you’re shut but did he dictate the big game and stamp himself on them?

Overhead kick against the vermin and a goalkeeping howler is his notable game? and scoring an great goal against Barca to win them the cup.

So I’m his day he could be but wasn’t consistently is my final answer Jeremy.

Originally Posted by Mr_Ed

Very, very good player but world class? You don’t score about 100 goals for RM if you’re shut but did he dictate the big game and stamp himself on them?

Overhead kick against the vermin and a goalkeeping howler is his notable game? and scoring an great goal against Barca to win them the cup.

So I’m his day he could be but wasn’t consistently is my final answer Jeremy.

Bang on Ed. He’s got a 30 second highlight reel. Is that enough to be deemed world class? I think not.

Quite obviously yes.

https://youtu.be/tuDiylkXHLo

and you don’t score a goal like he did against Liverpool if you’re just very good.

Originally Posted by dragflick

Of course he was ffs

Mad isn’t it ?

Ned’s gone from “he’s not world class” to him only having a 30 second highlight reel in two posts

Originally Posted by Stickman

Quite obviously yes.

https://youtu.be/tuDiylkXHLo

and you don’t score a goal like he did against Liverpool if you’re just very good.

https://youtu.be/GgthEyXx3Ts

Before he came along I never thought I’d see Wales qualify for a major tournament in my lifetime. He not only dragged a poor welsh side to two European championships (one of the making the semi’s ffs ) his goals also have taken wales to their first World Cup since the 50s. He’s wales all time top scorer, took Wales to 8th in fifa rankings

Scored in big finals for Madrid, scored the best champions league goal ever, his stats have overtaken R9, Zidane etc for Madrid. Was the best player in the premier league for those last two seasons at spurs. Was at the time the highest transfer fee ever. Yeah defo not world class

Definitely yes - for a short period.

Originally Posted by Arnold Muhren

Definitely yes - for a short period.

Top class and for a short period he rivalled the two big guns.

100 times the player neymar thinks he is.

Remember when he ruined Inter Milan’s treble winning side in the CL? He was unplayable. Not world class

Originally Posted by Vedder

Before he came along I never thought I’d see Wales qualify for a major tournament in my lifetime. He not only dragged a poor welsh side to two European championships (one of the making the semi’s ffs ) his goals also have taken wales to their first World Cup since the 50s. He’s wales all time top scorer, took Wales to 8th in fifa rankings

Scored in big finals for Madrid, scored the best champions league goal ever, his stats have overtaken R9, Zidane etc for Madrid. Was the best player in the premier league for those last two seasons at spurs. Was at the time the highest transfer fee ever. Yeah defo not world class

I’d argue about his goal bejng the best one ever. Did you mean final goal? I’d argue Zidane’s was technically better against Leverkusen. Ronaldo’s semi final goal was better too… oh and Messi’s semi final goal against Madrid.

Also the level of international football has changed so Wales were going to qualify one day given the number of smaller countries.

But other than that you might be into something.

Originally Posted by Vedder

Before he came along I never thought I’d see Wales qualify for a major tournament in my lifetime. He not only dragged a poor welsh side to two European championships (one of the making the semi’s ffs ) his goals also have taken wales to their first World Cup since the 50s. He’s wales all time top scorer, took Wales to 8th in fifa rankings

Scored in big finals for Madrid, scored the best champions league goal ever, his stats have overtaken R9, Zidane etc for Madrid. Was the best player in the premier league for those last two seasons at spurs. Was at the time the highest transfer fee ever. Yeah defo not world class

Originally Posted by Vedder

Remember when he ruined Inter Milan’s treble winning side in the CL? He was unplayable. Not world class

You’re biased though.