Gareth Bale: Real Madrid montage proves he will forever be one of Britain's finest players

Gareth Bale recently confirmed his imminent departure from Real Madrid.

The Welshman shared a heartfelt message to his Twitter account that sets aside any friction experienced between the player and the club, instead focussing on the incredible journey they have been on together across the past nine years.

“I arrived here 9 years ago as a young man that wanted to realise my dream of playing for Real Madrid.” Bale wrote in an official statement.

“To wear the pristine white kit, to wear the crest on my chest, to play at the Santiago Bernabeu, to win titles, and to be part of what it’s so famous for, to win the Champions League.

“I can now look back, reflect and say with honesty that this dream became a reality and much, much more.

“To be a part of this club’s history and to achieve what we achieved while I was a Real Madrid player, has been an incredible experience and one I will never forget.”

Bale then continued on to thank the President and the board of the directors, before signing off with the iconic “Hala Madrid!” slogan.

It’s been a pleasant and amicable ending to what, in truth, was a messy last few seasons.

Bale went from being seen as the next in line for the ‘best in the world’ crown to a Real Madrid benchwarmer.

Much of that can be attributed to a plethora of serious injuries, and the insatiably demanding Madridsta fan base that quickly turned on him when the problems came his way.

However, we must not allow the last few campaigns to cloud our judgement of the Welsh legend – because that’s what he is, a legend…

Honestly, just take in what he achieved with Madrid for a second: 5x Champions League winner, 3x La Liga champion, 3x Spanish Super Cups, 1x Spanish Cup, 3x UEFA Super Cups – Bale arguably has