The 31-year-old returns to Spurs from Real Madrid seven years after he moved in the opposite direction in a then world-record transfer.
Spurs have moved quickly over the last couple of days to tie the deal up, and he is seen as a marquee addition to Jose Mourinho’s squad, with the Wales international flying into London on Friday morning.
✍️ We are delighted to announce the return of @GarethBale11 to the Club on a season-long loan from Real Madrid!#BaleIsBack ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/6w8P1CLx61
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 19, 2020
Left-back Sergio Reguilon has also made the move from Madrid to north London, sealing a permanent transfer.
The Spaniard, who spent last season on loan at Europa League winners Sevilla, has signed a five-year contract at Spurs. Madrid have inserted a buy-back clause into the deal.
It is an emotional return to Spurs for Bale, who made 203 appearances for them between 2007 and 2013.
To all the Spurs fans, after 7 years, I’m back! #COYS @SpursOfficial https://t.co/NbAaUWefQP pic.twitter.com/zGk37PnQe9
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) September 19, 2020
He developed into a world-class player and was sold to Real Madrid for a then world-record £85million.
The Welshman won everything there was to win in Spain, including four Champions League titles, and he became one of the top three players in the world behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
But things turned sour for him in the final couple of years at the Bernabeu as he fell out of favour under Zinedine Zidane and he was subject to heavy criticism over his perceived preference to play golf rather than perform on the pitch.
His return to Spurs means that Mourinho finally gets his hands on a player he has tried to sign twice in the past, first when he was at Real Madrid and then again at Manchester United.
And his arrival into Mourinho’s Spurs squad could not be more timely as they have laboured in their opening two games of the campaign.
They were totally devoid of any attacking threat in a 1-0 Premier League loss to Everton before needing two goals in the final 10 minutes to beat Lokomotiv Plovdiv 2-1 in Europa League qualifying.
