Gareth Bale and the riddle of different numbers.

Gareth Bale and the riddle of different numbers.

Is he superstitious, are you superstitious? Does it matter? Bertrand Russell, famous philosopher said this about superstition, "Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To Conquer Fear is the beginning of wisdom." On the other side of the coin, Groucho Mark said, "If a black cat crosses your path, it signifies that the animal is going somewhere." What am I talking about? Well, our new recruit Mr Bale is to wear the number nine shirt after signing (again) for us, which will be Bale's fourth different squad number at the club. Is it because he is superstitious? Or just likes playing the numbers game and putting the cat amongst the pigeons? It wouldn't be the first time that players have played mind games with their supporters (in a nice way of course).

When he was first at our club, he had the number 16 shirt. It took 25 attempts for him to be on the winning side, that is over the course of two years. Martin Jol signed him from Southampton, and he was wearing the number 22 in the summer of 2007; most consider Bale to be an attacking full-back. In the summer of 2008, Lee Young-Pyo left our famous old stadium, White Hart Lane, which meant that Bale and Benoit Assou-Ekotto had to battle it out for the left-back role, so Bale got a new squad number.

So, why didn't he stick with the number 16? My guess is, and it is only a guess, he had a losing or drawing record while wearing that shirt and therefore didn't want it. Whatever it is, Bale is keeping schtum.

The next four seasons Bale wore the number 3 shirt.

In 2009 'Arry Redknapp brought Bale on against Burnley, and we won 5-0. From then onwards the jinx, if there was a jink on previous numbers, turned into glorified success.

Bale's big moment came when he scored a stunning and brilliant free-kick when facing Inter Milan in the group stage in 2010. The fans were stunned, the world took note, and the rest is history.  Our boy Gareth dumbfounded everybody watching over both games; scoring a hat-trick at the San Siro and torturing Maicon in the return game.

Bale won the PFA players' player of the year award in 2010-11.  

In his final season at White Hart Lane Bale "went into pre-season one day and said I'm not wearing number three anymore, that's not me".

He finally left us with another PFA award, 31 goals in his last season. From Spurs to the highest glories with Real Madrid where he won the lot in Spain, becoming British football's most successful export of all time, with four Champions League wins.

Bale has been Wales' number 11 for the past ten years, and in 2013 he applied to trademark his 'Eleven of Hearts' goal commemoration logo. If that was not sufficient, in 2017, he opened a bar in Cardiff called Elevens Bar and Grill. Therefore one would think that Bale was quite in love with that number, but strangely he hasn't picked number 11 when rejoining us.

It does make you think Bale is quite attached to the number... But he cannot wear it at Spurs this time, that is because his replacement at Spurs (and still at the club) Erik Lamela is wearing that number. Numbers three and 11 are taken, 16 is a jinx and Bale will therefore wear the Spurs number nine shirt, a number associated with the likes of Alan Gilzean, Martin Chivers, Chris Waddle, Dimitar Berbatov and many others. One wonders, if he loved that shirt number so much (11), then why didn't he tell, ask or intimidate the current wearers into giving their number to him? Or refuse to sign for us if he didn't get his beloved number? There have been cases of that when top players have signed to certain clubs.

Of course, Bale has worn that number eleven once before, in a pre-season friendly in New York.

To quote Lewis Carroll, "Curiouser and curiouser!" Or maybe we should end on another Alice in Wonderland quote, "If you don't know where you are going any road can take you there (or should that be any number?)" In the grandest scheme of things, I am sure the conundrum that Bale set (shirt number wise) is just an enigma wrapped up in a riddle for the fans to unravel. God Bless him!

Whatever number he is, so long as he did what he did for us (the first time around) and Real Madrid, again, it can only make us go from strength to strength, no matter how many riddles or conundrums or even enigmas he throws our way. COYS!