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Who is Gareth Bale married to? How a high school romance with Emma Rhys-Jones blossomed into true love

His love story with Emma Rhys-Jones is one for the ages. The two met in Cardiff as teenagers and she soon became his childhood sweetheart

A footballer with tremendous speed and a great left foot, Gareth Frank Bale is a heartthrob. The Welsh professional footballer not only played as a winger for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid but also captained the Wales national team. No wonder, football manager Harry Redknapp once put him in the same class as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. "He's an amazing talent and he's after the Ronaldos and Messis of this world and he's getting better and better," Redknapp told BBC Radio Wales Sport. "He's almost unplayable when he's on his game. He is a genuine world-class player. There's nobody he couldn't play for. He'd improve any team."

Well, it seems the time has come. Bale is on the verge of inking a deal with Tottenham Hotspur, seven years after leaving the Premier League club. He began his career at Southampton, playing at left-back and earning acclaim as a free-kick specialist. In 2007, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur for an estimated $9 million (£7 million) fee. Back in 2013, he left the Spurs in a world-record $120 million (£85m million) transfer and played in integral role in helping Madrid win the 2013–14 Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League. 

As per Sky Sports, Bale is all set to fly to London from Spain on Friday, September 18, 2020, to close the deal. Reportedly, he will be accompanied on a private flight by Real Madrid team-mate Sergio Reguilon, who is set to join Spurs on a permanent deal after also completing a medical on Thursday, September 17. As the news comes as a major shock in the world of football, here's a look at Bale's personal life.

High school love

Born in Cardiff, Wales, he was raised by his school caretaker dad Frank and an operations manager mom Debbie Bale. Nephew of former Cardiff City footballer Chris Pike, he studied at Eglwys Newydd Primary School in Whitchurch. When he was just nine years old, he grabbed the attention of Southampton while playing a six-a-side tournament with his first club, Cardiff Civil Service. As per reports, he often idolized Manchester United player Ryan Giggs as his hero. 

His love story with Emma Rhys-Jones is one for the ages. The two met in Cardiff as teenagers and she soon became his childhood sweetheart at Whitchurch High School after they began dating in the early 2000s. Back in 2013, he first confessed that the famous heart sign he made after scoring every goal is for her. “I hadn’t been playing for a while and I was with my girlfriend and she asked what I would do if I scored,” he revealed. “I told her I would make the ‘heart’ sign but I wasn’t sure when it would happen. When I eventually scored I did it and my girlfriend thought it was great.”

The down-to-earth footballer has always been reluctant to talk about his personal life. “I don’t go out, so I don’t get attention from girls. They’re not going to have posters of me on their walls,” he said. That year, he withdrew from Tottenham match as his partner went into labor. The pair have two little girls — their first child, Alba Violet, was born in 2012, and their second daughter, Nava Valentina, was born in 2016.

A lifetime of togetherness

Back in July 2016, Bale went down his knees and popped the question to his lover. "She said yes!! This is a birthday weekend I won't forget for a long time," he posted on Twitter along with a few pictures of the couple a day after his 27th birthday. However, their love story had its fair share of troubles. 

The duo — who also has a son named Alex Charles — was set to tie the knot in 2018, but an on-going feud with her family put their plans on a roadblock. As per The Sun, her dad Martin was released from prison in 2019 after being imprisoned for fraud for six months in the US. However, Emma didn't want him to attend the wedding as he moved in with a florist named Alina Baranova half his age. Meanwhile, her aunt Jane Burns was embroiled in a violent drugs feud.

Finally, Emma and Bale walked down the aisle in a hush-hush ceremony in 2019 at a five-star hotel on a Majorcan island in front of just 60 guests. If reports are to be believed, guests were informed about the location just 24 hours before the grand day and weren't allowed to get their mobile phones.

Now, the couple live in their lavish home of Brazilian legend Kaka for a massive £10k-per-month. As per The Sun, the 1,500 square meter property, valued at around $8 million (£6.5 million), boasts of four bedrooms, an indoor pool, gym, two utility rooms, several terraces and porches, as well as a six-car garage. 

All's well that ends well, isn't it?