Gareth Bale to make Tottenham return during Monday's derby with Chelsea
- Tottenham to present Gareth Bale to crowd at half-time of Monday's clash with Chelsea
- Bale one of Spurs' greatest ever players and enjoyed success across two spells in playing days
- Derby will also mark Mauricio Pochettino's first return to Tottenham since 2019
By Sean Walsh
Tottenham Hotspur have announced that Gareth Bale will be present for Monday's enticing London derby against Chelsea.
Bale played 237 times for Spurs across two stints at the club and is widely regarded as one of their greatest ever players.
The Welshman joined Tottenham as a 17-year-old in 2007 for £10m from Southampton, but failed to make much of an immediate impact and struggled due to various injury concerns. He went 24 games without a Premier League win after signing for Spurs - a streak that was only ended after being brought on as a late substitute in a 5-0 victory against Burnley.
But after cementing a place in Harry Redknapp's starting lineup at the start of 2010, Bale kicked on and announced himself as one of Europe's best young players. He notably helped lead Tottenham into their first ever Champions League campaign, where he scored an iconic hat-trick away at holders Inter.
Under the guidance of Andre Villas-Boas, Bale transitioned from a traditional touchline winger into a lethal inverted forward, scoring a series of stunning late goals during the 2012/13 season and earning the PFA Players' Player and Young Player of the Year awards.
That form saw Real Madrid stump up a then world-record £85m to sign him, with Bale going on to win 15 major honours in the Spanish capital.
Bale returned to Tottenham on loan during the 2020/21 season, which was mostly played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. He racked up an impressive 16 goals in 34 games across all competitions and enjoyed fruitful attacking partnerships with fellow Spurs legends Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
Tottenham have now revealed that Bale, who retired from professional football at the start of 2023 following a spell in MLS with LAFC, will be presented to the crowd at half-time of Monday evening's clash with Chelsea.
Bale has spoken glowingly of Spurs in recent months following their resurgence under Ange Postecoglou. They sit top of the Premier League table heading into this weekend's round of fixtures and have transformed into one of Europe's most entertaining teams.
Monday will also mark the first return of Mauricio Pochettino to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following his sacking in 2019, making the trip back to north London as Chelsea head coach.
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