Back to the Tottenham Hotspur Newsfeed

IAN LADYMAN: Gareth Bale's slow fall from grace is both a shame and a mystery

The first goal of two that Gareth Bale scored for Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final is worth watching again. For its beauty, its athleticism, its timing. An overhead kick from 12 yards, Bale's left foot was head height from the ground when it made contact to send the ball at an almost unnatural angle in to the right-hand corner of Liverpool's goal in Kyiv.

It is not the most memorable moment of a game ultimately associated with a calamitous performance from Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius but it was the most exceptional, arguably one of the top three goals ever scored in a major European final.