Gareth Bale has come up with some huge goals for Real Madrid since joining the Spanish giants in 2013. Will we see him do this yet again on Wednesday?

And then there were four. It might seem like it just started, but the 2015/2016 Champions League is rapidly coming to its end. As has been the case in prior editions of European club football's premier competition, this edition has had its fair share of surprises along the way. If you were hoping to see the first back-to-back winner, you will have to wait another season, as Barcelona were overpowered in the quarter-finals by a tough and determined Atletico Madrid side.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid, who, of course, are the most decorated team in this tournament, are hoping to make it an unprecedented 11th Champions League trophy later this month in Milan. The capital giants will, however, have to find a way past debutants Manchester City, who themselves earned their spot after putting in two excellent performances against PSG. As the first leg finishing as 0-0, both Zinedine Zidane and Manuel Pellegrini will have it all to do in Madrid on Wednesday evening.

With two key members of his "BBC" strike force having recently struggling with injuries, the French tactician will be heavily counting on the other part of this trio: Gareth Bale. Despite being the "quietest" of the three, the Welsh international has, in his own way, made a big impact for Real Madrid since arriving in 2013.

How much of an impact? Bale has had his share of ups and downs due to injury and adjustment issues. However, when fit, the ex-Tottenham man has been the deciding factor for Real Madrid - both on the "smaller" as well as the"bigger" stage. Let's have a look.

April 16, 2014

If you're a Real Madrid or Barcelona fan, El Clasico ties are the matches of each season. Whether it's in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, or as supporters hope for each year, in a Champions League final. Two years ago, followers did get a final between these two Spanish giants, albeit it was during the Copa del Rey.

Bale's goal is something that Real Madrid fans will certainly remember gleefully - but Blaugrana supporters will want to forget in a hurry. Most football viewers know that he is pretty fast, but probably had no idea how really speedy the Welsh star is.

Well, just ask Marc Bartra - the Barcelona defender who was left red-faced and out of breath after being left in the dust as Bale scored the winning goal to give Real Madrid the Copa del Rey trophy.

May 24, 2014

A month later, Real Madrid faced yet another Spanish opponent. This time, it was cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid, and the Madrid derby traveled to Lisbon for the Champions League final. Diego Simeone's side were viewed, not surprisingly as the underdogs and were not even expected to make it to that stage of the competition.

Real Madrid, who were then coached by Carlo Ancelotti, were hoping to end their long wait for their tenth European title. As we are used to seeing, Los Rojiblancos grabbed an earlier goal and dug their heels in. However, it was Bale's goal - via a header - that eventually put Real ahead 2-1 during extra time. This appeared to finally end Atletico's resistance and allowed them to finish Simeone's troops off with two insurance goals to finally wrap up an excellent European campaign by clinching the coveted prize.

Bale became the first Welshman to score a goal from open play in a UCL final (Ian Rush's goal for Liverpool in 1984 was via penalty)

April 23, 2016

Zidane opted to rest key man Cristiano Ronaldo for this match in an attempt to have him fit for the Manchester City tie, whilst fielding both Bale and Karim Benzema. Unfortunately, he ended up losing Benzema as well, with the French attacker being subbed off in the first half as a precaution.

With the La Liga title race back open, Real Madrid were in danger of dropping two points against Rayo Vallecano. Given that this team are just above the drop zone, they were desperate to hold out for a draw, until Bale popped up (perhaps predictably?) with a late goal to snatch a vital win for the team and keep them in the chase for the league crown. In total, he scored a brace in that fixture as it finished 3-2.

April 30, 2016

Instead of the "BBC", now there was just "B". Both CR7 and Benzema were not available for this match against Real Sociedad. Again, Real Madrid do have a much bigger game coming up - the second leg against Manchester City.

Still, only one point separates Real from Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, meaning that the La Liga title race could be effectively decided on matchday 38. However, this past weekend's game appeared to be like another major case of frustration and potential dropped points.

Well, it was an interesting case of déjà vu, indeed. Just like in the prior weekend, one player again was the deciding factor with a late goal: Gareth Bale.

Here's an interesting stat: Bale has scored nine of his 19 goals so far from headers. To further illustrate, here is how some of other top scorers in Europe's "Big 5"leagues compare (headed goals/goals) as per Squawka.com:

Premier League

  • Harry Kane: 1/24
  • Sergio Aguero: 5/23

La Liga

  • Luis Suarez: 3/35
  • Cristiano Ronaldo: 5/31

Bundesliga

  • Robert Lewandowski: 3/27
  • Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 4/25

Ligue 1

  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 2/34

 

To sum things up, Real Madrid's path through out the knockout rounds has been pretty logical. In the round of 16, they got by far one of the easiest draws by receiving Serie A side Roma, who, predictably did not trouble them much. In the quarter-finals, they did have to work against Wolfsburg, but the final result was fair and as expected.

Now in the semi-finals, the difficulty level of their opponent has been bumped up and it will be all hands on deck if they want to find a way past City on Wednesday. And if history and statistics are any indicator, it will make perfect sense for Zidane to be counting on the Welsh star to "head" Real Madrid into the Champions League finals (or at the very least, play some kind of contributing role) in less than 24 hours' time. All in all, to sum things up - whether it's a header or not, don't be surprised if Bale does manage to score the decisive goal!

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Real Madrid 1 - 0 Manchester City

May 4, 2016 2:45pmEstadio Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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