Updated 20 October 2020 at 22:10 IST
Gareth Bale became the first to score Champions League hat-trick vs Inter on Oct 20, 2010
On this day 10 years ago, a 21-year-old Gareth Bale scored THAT hat-trick for Tottenham against Inter Milan at San Siro in the Champions League.
Gareth Bale has been in the news after he sealed a sensational return to Tottenham after a trophy-laden spell at Real Madrid. There was visible excitement when the Welshman made his debut in Spurs' disappointing 3-3 draw against West Ham, but the 31-year-old showed his flashes of brilliance after coming on as a substitue. While Bale, now an internationally renowned footballer with a massive following enters a new stage of his career, Tuesday marked the date when he first announced himself to international acclaim 10 years ago.
Inter Milan vs Tottenham 2010: OTD, Gareth Bale scored a hat-trick vs Inter Milan in the Champions League
Tottenham faced off against Champions League holders Inter Milan in the group stage of the 2010 Champions League on October 20, 2010 and the first half of the contest showed the gulf in quality between the two sides. The Serie A giants had romped to a four-goal lead in the first half, with Javier Zanetti, Dejan Stankovic and Samuel Eto'o (twice) all getting on the scoresheet. In what was looking like a complete mauling for Spurs, a 21-year-old Gareth Bale had other ideas.
The Welshman spit fire on the left flank as he made darting runs around Inter's defence to score three past them. Bale's heroics handed Tottenham a lease of life, but Inter somehow managed to brave the storm and gather the three points.
While Spurs lost, Gareth Bale was instantly a hero, in a tale which Inter Milan right-back Maicon will hate to tell. Before the much-acclaimed Gareth Bale hat-trick vs Inter Milan, the Welshman was a fairly unknown prospect for clubs outside England. The hat-trick sowed seeds for his move to Real Madrid three years later, with Los Blancos splashing a then-record €100m for him.
The Gareth Bale Champions League love story continued to blossom at Santiago Bernabeu, with the Welshman lifting four UCL titles during his seven-year stay with the club. The 31-year-old put in some clutch performances for Real Madrid in the Champions League, including his goals in the 2014 and the 2018 UCL final.
After falling out of favour at Real Madrid under Zinedine Zidane, a return to Tottenham provides Gareth Bale with a new lease of life. The 31-year-old's form and fitness were major source of criticism during the latter years of his career in Spain and the Welshman will be keen to prove his doubters wrong with an impressive spell on loan. While Bale may not possess the searing pace he destroyed Inter Milan with, he still remains one of the top European footballers on his day and Tottenham would be hoping to see a lot more of those days during his stay at North London.
(Image Courtesy: UEFA.com)
Published By : Sreehari Menon
Published On: 20 October 2020 at 22:10 IST