A goal for the history books

Posted Saturday, April 19, 2014 by Marca.com

With that 58-metre dash down the pitch, Bale not only made history for himself, he also made it for Real. Not one of those fans there on the night that witnessed the goal will ever forget it.

The ball had barely hit the back of the net and Bale's goal had already gone down in history. When people look back at 2014, they will remember the Welshman's A goal for the history books unforgettable run down the pitch. It is already the stuff of legend and popular culture. Over time, 'Bale's goal against Barcelona in the 2014 Spanish Cup final' will be replaced with just 'Bale's goal'. It won't matter if he scores a thousand more in his career. Exactly the same thing happened to Maradona - there's only one 'Maradona's goal.'

With that 58-metre dash down the pitch, Bale not only made history for himself, he also made it for Real. Not one of those fans there on the night that witnessed the goal will ever forget it. Bale has gone straight into the Real Madrid fans' collective memory along with so many other wonder goals throughout the club's 112-year history.

'Bale's goal' had everything it needed to become legendary. It was against Barcelona, in a final, just before the final whistle, it won Real Madrid the title and, above all else, it was a corker. It was reminiscent, given its importance, the match venue and the opposition, of the goal scored in the 2011 Cup final by Cristiano Ronaldo, the latest in a long run of historic Real Madrid goalscorers.