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JOE BERNSTEIN: Yes, five-time Champions League winner Gareth Bale is among the UK's best-ever players. But the VERY best produce week-in, week-out so he's not even in my top FIVE

Placing where Gareth Bale stands in the pantheons of the United Kingdom's footballing greats is more complicated than for arguably any other player.

When you look at the usual criteria - trophies won, impact, longevity, legacy - few have fluctuated more wildly than the 33-year-old Welshman who announced his retirement this week.

None of his contemporaries can match his trophy haul and there is no doubt he regularly delivered a 'wow factor', never more than in Champions League finals or wearing a Wales shirt.

Gareth Bale retired from football on Monday - ending a stunning career for club and country
Bale won 17 major trophies, 15 of those at Real Madrid (pictured with the Champions League)
For all Bale's brilliance, the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton can arguably be called the UK's greatest
Sir Kenny Dalglish (centre) is another who can be called the greatest export from these shores

Yet scratch beneath the surface, and he can't compare in certain areas to other greats like Sir Bobby Charlton or Sir Kenny Dalglish.