The Wales international, 31, made his name with the North London giants in a six-year spell between 2007-2013.
His £85.3 million (B3.4 billion) transfer to the Bernabeu in 2013 was a world record at the time and he went on to win a plethora of trophies during his time at the Spanish giants, including four Champions League titles. His goal against Liverpool in the 2018 final is widely regarded as the finest goal in a major final.
His love affair with Madrid soured after a series of niggling injuries and the fact that Real boss Zinedine Zidane simply didn’t seem to trust him anymore and his involvement suffered as a result as he became marginalised as a bit-part player.
On the surface, the move seems to be a win-win for all involved; it clears Bale from the Madrid books for now, it allows him to start playing football again regularly (assuming he remains fit) and it provides Spurs a significant lift with a real marquee signing which, following their turgid opening weekend loss to Everton, they desperately needed.
However, it will be interesting to see how exactly the move pans out. Even more interesting to see what sort of player Bale is now. He hasn’t played consistently during the last two years so nobody really knows.
Spurs fans giddy with nostalgic memories of the bucaneering young Welshman charging down the wing and scoring incredible goals from long distance may well be disappointed to see a very different player now on show. He left Spurs a boy and now returns a man. As the old cliche states, only time will tell.
To quote a similarly often used cliche, class is permanent and Bale possesses this in spades. He will, undoubtedly, add quality and firepower to the Spurs frontline and the potential of him linking up with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min could be devastating.
He can also serve as a remedy to the ongoing quandry of Spurs having a suitable replacement for Kane when the Englishman endures his almost inevitable once-a-season injury.
Whether this is a master-stroke of a signing that can fire Spurs into serious trophy contenders or merely a smart PR stunt, only time will tell.
Thiago and Jota join Liverpool
Elsewhere reigning champions Liverpool reinforced their ranks with the £20mn of Spanish international Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich and Diogo Jota from Wolves for £41mn.
Manager Jurgen Klopp hailed Thiago as one of the few players in the world that can improve his team.
“He is an absolutely exceptional player and you are right it is difficult to improve a team like us in the moment in a normal way,” said the German.
Thiago won seven Bundesliga titles in seven years at Bayern and was instrumental as they lifted the Champions League last month in his last game for the club.
The signing of Jota came as a surprise but is a fine addition to the squad. The 23-year-old signed a five year deal after making his feelings well known as soon as Liverpool’s interest was confirmed.
Securing regular playing time could prove a challenge as the first choice Liverpool forward line of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firminio is regarded as one of, if not the finest, attacking trios in world football.
Tottenham play at Southampton tomorrow (Sept 20), kick-off 6pm Phuket time.
Liverpool are at Chelsea tomorrow, kick-off 10.30pm Phuket time.