Granted, this news may not come as a surprise nor seem all too exciting, after all it's merely the day job of the the man in question — Tottenham's Welsh wizard and reigning PFA and Young Player of the Year — Gareth Bale. However, this is no ordinary game of football. For a start there are a lot more balls than the 23-year-old is accustomed to, the majority of which appear to be glowing and affixed to his doesn't-leave-much-to-the-imagination kit for the day: a snug, monochrome spandex.
As instead of lining up for Spurs, Wales (or any of many other European clubs clamouring for his signature, for that matter), Bale is marking his arrival on the cover of the latest installment of EA Sports' flagship monolith, FIFA 14, by doing a spot of motion capture. This means the space age kit — a collection of awfully high-tech sensors chronicling Bale's each and every flinch — feeds back to three cameras and about 20 monitors behind him, to ensure that Bale's smaller, simulated twin is every bit as skilled as his real-life, fleshy counterpart when you supply him with the ball on FIFA 14 when it's out later this year.
"To be on the front cover of a game is obviously a massive honour, particularly when you look at the people who have been on there," admits Bale. "The players that have been on the front cover since I was a kid have obviously been legends of the game, and unbelievable professionals. It’s a great honour for me."
As a net is erected using some over-elaborate (and perhaps unnecessary) scaffolding, it's clear the modest Bale is more than worthy in joining such past cover stars as Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi and England's own Wayne Rooney. Delicately placing the ball on the astroturf for a free kick, Bale takes a measured run up and swiftly cannons the ball with venom towards the net. It is inch perfect. Expect to see plenty of 'keepers flapping unsuccessfully at such set pieces next season — both on the game and in real life. The scaffolding, which has been shaking violently ever since the ball struck the net, perhaps wasn't so unnecessary after all.
