GARETH BALE

Aaron Ramsey scored the only goal to give Wales a 2-0 victory over Turkey at the European Championship.

(Matthew Childs/Pool via AP)LONDON – Gareth Bale turned back time for Tottenham, while Chelsea and Manchester United seemed happy just to play out time. Chelsea kept its unbeaten record under manager Thomas Tuchel in a 0-0 draw with Man United as both teams appeared reluctant to risk losing one point in the hope of getting three. However, Mourinho warned that Bale would still have to rest for some upcoming games to manage his form and fitness. He had scored six goals and assisted three more in his team's previous 10 league games. The draw left Scott Parker's team unbeaten in five league games, with only one goal conceded during that time, but still 18th and three points adrift of safety.

Tottenham's Gareth Bale warms up during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. “I don’t think it is an obvious injury,” Mourinho said, adding that he was “surprised” by the latest fitness status of a fragile player who it’s increasingly clear he cannot rely on. And, frustratingly, another likely lay-off for the Wales international whose second spell at Tottenham just cannot get going. With Tottenham playing City in the league on Saturday, it looks like Bale won’t be at Etihad Stadium again. AdBale’s one league goal since his return remains the headed winner against Brighton on Nov. 1, a moment many thought would kickstart his second spell at Tottenham.

Tottenham's Gareth Bale, right, celebrates with teammate Eric Dier following the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. (John Walton/Pool via AP)LONDON – Gareth Bale soared into the air, connected with the ball and powered it into the net. It's taken more than seven years but Bale was Tottenham's match-winner again. And it had only required three minutes on the field for the substitute to clinch a 2-1 victory over Brighton on Sunday. “A bit of relief and a lot of happiness,” Bale said after being set up by Sergio Reguilon, who also switched from Real Madrid in September.

(AP photo/Matt Dunham, Pool)A two-week break for international matches has done nothing to suppress the relentless unpredictability of this season’s Premier League. No team had previously avoided defeat when 3-0 down as late as the 81st minute in the Premier League. “It’s really crazy at the moment,” said West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, who added that the feeling after Lanzini’s last-gasp strike was one of the best he has had in his career. Spurs were leading 3-0 at the time, thanks to goals by Son Heung-min and Harry Kane (2) in the opening 16 minutes. Palace had just one shot all match, and that was the contentiously awarded penalty converted by Wilfried Zaha in the 19th minute.

West Ham's Manuel Lanzini, right, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. Cruising 3-0 when Bale came off in the bench in the 72nd minute against West Ham, Tottenham incredibly collapsed in a game it had been in control of to draw 3-3 in the Premier League on Sunday. “It’s a pity he couldn’t score the fourth goal that could kill the game,” Mourinho said. Rather than any joy for Bale on his return to Tottenham after seven years, West Ham was celebrating in a way that seemed unimaginable in the first half. “For some reason they didn’t push on in the second half, try to kill off the game,” West Ham midfielder Declan Rice said.

Heung-min Son was rampant, scoring four in a league game for a first time — all assisted by Harry Kane, who got Tottenham's fifth. Sadio Mane took advantage, grabbing two goals in five minutes to give Liverpool a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge. Two minutes into the second half, Kane played in Son again as Tottenham went in front. The South Korean secured his first Premier League hat trick in the 64th minute after being set up by Kane’s lofted pass. Kane became the first player to set up a Premier League teammate for four goals, crossing for Son to chip goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.

Soccer player Gareth Bale gestures to fans as he arrives at the training ground of Tottenham Hotspur in London, Friday Sept. 18, 2020. Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale is in London to complete his return to Tottenham. Bale left Tottenham for Madrid in 2013 for 100 million euros. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)LONDON – Seven years after leaving for a world-record fee to Real Madrid, Gareth Bale is back at Tottenham in a bid to reignite his career. Bale won four Champions League titles and two La Liga titles at Madrid but struggled for game time in recent seasons.

Spain's Ansu Fati is airborne as he attempts to control the ball during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Spain and Ukraine at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020. Spain goes top of its Nations League group by a point from Ukraine. Barely a year since he became Barcelona's youngest league scorer, he appears set to be the future for both club and country. NO WIN FOR GERMANYThe Nations League just isn't Germany's competition. The Nations League format keeps teams of similar competitive strength together.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi leaves the pitch after the the Champions League quarterfinal soccer match between Barcelona and Bayern Munich in Lisbon, Portugal, Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. The Spanish league is about to see another top player leave one of its clubs, all within a four-year span. The league wasnt hugely affected financially after Neymar left Barcelona or Ronaldo left Real Madrid. The league still benefited from Messis presence after Ronaldo left, but now it wouldn't have that same star power anymore. Since Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, Spain gained few top-notch players.

The problem for a number of big name soccer stars is that there's seemingly nowhere for them to go. "Clearly, this counts against the likes of Neymar and Bale, as clubs simply don't have the resources to support their acquisition. Chadwick believes the reluctance to purchase older big name players is a sign of what he terms "economic realism." Speaking last month, PSG's director of football Leonardo told Le Parisien that the player was free to leave the club. I like Phil, I think he's a fantastic footballer and all that stuff, but it would be a big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big-money signing and it's not our year for that."

He shows no respect for a player that has done so much for Real Madrid," Barnett told AFP. Bale, who joined Real Madrid from Tottenham in 2013, is reportedly weighing a return to the Premier League or the Chinese Super League. Like Bale, Real Madrid had a difficult time last season, finishing third and a distant 19 points behind archrival Barcelona. And in the Champions League, the defending champions were knocked out by Ajax in the last 16. In an attempt to overturn its fortunes, Real Madrid signed Belgian star Eden Hazard from Chelsea in June.