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Gareth Bale: Real Madrid v Liverpool 2018

£20.00

Favourite Goal from Semra Hunter.

I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Gareth Bale. During my time with Real Madrid TV, I often had the chance to speak with players and he was always one of the most open, friendly and genuinely enjoyable people to talk to. It was a really exciting time to be part of the club (they were winning everything!). I was supportive of the team and their pursuit of glory, but in particular I would quietly wish success for Bale simply because I liked him as a person. At the time of the UCL final in Kiev, he wasn't going through the best moment (you might remember the distance between him and Zidane, the question marks regarding his potential departure from the Spanish capital, and so on), and in fact, in that game against Liverpool he started on the bench. It was the first match in a very, very long time that I got to attend as a fan and not for work, so that in and of itself made it special for me.

I got up at the crack of dawn, had to hop on two flights, managed to find a bus from the airport (I was the only person on it!) and legged it to the stadium, arriving just as that spine-chilling Champions League hymn was echoing around the stands. Bale came on in the second half, and I think with virtually his first touch, he did that. Marcelo crosses it in to an unmarked Bale in the box, and with a stroke of genius scores a stunning bicycle kick. I happened to be quite close to the pitch in the corner area just to his left - and I swear - it was like time slowed down and I could feel that it was going in before he even struck the ball. A tremendous moment for him and for Madridistas. He went on to score again and earn himself the Man of the Match award. I couldn't have been more delighted for him.

Semra Hunter is a LaLiga presenter and lover of the beautiful game : twitter.com/SemraHunter

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