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If you go to the Wales Today archives, you can find a story about a 16-year-old boy leaving his parents' house in Wales to go for a training session in England.
Bale was wearing an Inbetweeners quiff as he sat in the back of the car discussing his future in the game with a croaky adolescent voice which is still some way from breaking.
Bale is set to become the first man to captain Wales at a World Cup since 1959 when he leads the team at the tournament in Russia.
His country's all-time leading scorer in men's football and a globally recognised figure who has shone on the grandest stages in the club game are just some of the things that make him a modern great.
The story of how Bale came to this point is about five key stages in the evolution of a football player.
Derby County's Pride Park is a picture as warm August sunshine illuminates the green turf on the opening day of the Championship season.
An hour into the game a gentle hum comes from the stands, the home fans are content as their team lead 1-0, seemingly unconcerned as the teenage left-back stands over a free-kick 25 yards from goal.
The 17-year-old is a professional footballer. He swings his left foot at the ball and it goes past Lee Camp into the top right-hand corner.
Three days later, he scores with another free-kick, this time 10 yards further out, but again struck with the precision and curl to leave another goalkeeper, Andy Marshall, flailing.
Many are taking notice of Bale after two games.
It's not that Wales needs reminding. Two months before his 17th birthday, Bale made his senior international debut as a substitute in a game against Trinidad and Tobago.
In October, Bale becomes Wales' youngest scorer with a curling free-kick to give fans at the Millennium Stadium a ray of hope in the midst of a demoralising 6-1 loss to Slovakia.
It's striking how similar the three goals are: all measured, carefully lifted over the wall and curled from left to right.
George Burley was the manager at the time. His quality of free-kicks is similar to that of David Beckham.
Bale would lead Wales' epic journey to the Euro 2016 semi-finals thanks in part to yet more free- kick goals, but struck with a new style.
The Beckham-esque curl and control was gone and in its place was the power, dip and vicious style of play that the likes ofRonaldo and Drogba had become well-known for.
When asked why he had abandoned his original approach, Bale said he found it boring.
The changes to Bale's free-kick technique showed how he could transform his game over the course of a stellar career.
It is a scene which has become a mythical one.
In 2010 a 21-year-old Bale converted from left-back to marauding winger as Spurs were down by four goals at Inter Milan.
Bale's first goal is essentially a one-man counter- attack, as he burst clear of Inter's defenders and into the penalty area before drilling a left-footed finish into the far bottom corner.
The hat-trick was in vain as Spurs lost 4-3, but Bale was even better against the same opponents two weeks later as he terrorised Maicon and created two goals in a rousing 3-1 win.
It was a statement from a player who had had a difficult start to his career at the club.
After seeing off competition from clubs such as Manchester United to sign Bale, Spurs initially struggled with injuries and a statistical quirk that showed he had failed to win a premier league game over the course of two years.
He admitted that he was reluctant to pick Bale because of his losing record, but it turned out to be a huge mistake.
The performances against Inter would become a template for Bale, who was able to score with long-range thunderbolts.
It made Bale very difficult to beat at times. He was voted Player of the Year twice by the Professional Footballers' Association and once by the Football Writers' Association in the same year.
Bale was ready for the next phase of his journey after winning the premier league and impressing in europe.
Real Madrid paid Spurs £85.3m to sign Bale, making him the most expensive player in the world.
Bale would have had an air of invincibility if his feats at Spurs had given him a sense of confidence.
He returned home to play for Wales in a friendly match, even though some of his club colleagues might not have appreciated it.
As Wales led 2-1 with 20 minutes left in the game, Bale picked up possession in his own half near the right touch line.
He was forced off the pitch by an attempted foul from Ottesen but stayed on his feet and fired into the bottom corner.
Chris Coleman asked him for an autograph and a photo after the game. He's one of the greats. A great player.
Bale was making a habit of embarrassing opponents and, as if to prove he could do the same to anyone, he scored a mirror image goal in one of football's most storied fixture.
With five minutes left in the game, Bale received the ball on the left side of his own half, and Real was in a position to win the game.
Bale motored into the box and poked the ball past Pinto after Bartra tried to drag him down.
One month after scoring the first trophy of his career, Bale scored the second in Real's victory in the European Championship.
Bale was in his element as he and his team-mates returned to Madrid to celebrate with a trophy.
He ended his first season with 22 goals and followed that with 18 in his second.
During his nine years with Real Madrid, Bale won five European titles and three Spanish ones.
His relationship with the club became strained as injuries affected his form, while the Spanish media and Real's fans criticized him.
Even as he was pushed to the fringes, Bale still had moments of brilliance, such as the overhead kick he scored after coming on as a substitute in the 2018?
It was obvious that he was not happy. Bale said in an interview that he was thinking of leaving Madrid.
Although Bale ignored the jeers of his own club's fans to continue playing at the Bernabeu, his opportunities to return home and play for Wales became a soothing antidote to the hostility he faced in Spain.
Bale had established himself as a Welsh icon but this particular period brought him closer to his country and its supporters.
Wales fans already loved Bale for all he had achieved, most notably his pivotal role in helping the team qualify for Euro 2016 - their first major tournament for 58 years - and then the inspiring performances he produced on their momentous run to the semi-Finals in France.
It was clear to Bale that Wales needed him more than this footballing nation did.
Wales fans followed events in Spain and felt protective of a player they were fond of, one they felt was being treated unfairly.
Bale wasn't afraid to show where his true loyalties were.
He said "I definitely have a bit more excitement playing for Wales" on the eve of the Euro 2020 group stage game in Azerbaijan.
Bale prioritised Wales and even his interest in golf over his club side, according to Predrag Mijatovich, who was the director of football at Real Madrid.
A Wales fan displayed a flag with the words "Wales" on it at a game against Hungary. There is a sport called golf. The capital of Spain. The order in which it was placed. Bale was handed the banner after Wales beat Hungary and was pictured holding it with his teammates.
Bale and Real Madrid were done. The man's commitment to his country was not up for debate and it only enhanced his reputation among Wales fans.
Another chapter in Bale's development was marked by the episode.
As Bale entered the autumn of his career - and the final throes of his time with Real Madrid - he found himself in the unusual position of playing more frequently for his country than for his club.
He played for Wales 10 times and for Real seven times. Bale had played just two hours of football in six months for Real before Wales' World Cup play-off against Austria.
With Wales two wins away from qualification for the World Cup, there were concerns that their captain was not up to the task.
Bale told everyone that he wrote his own script.
More criticism from Spain, a high-stakes situation and the ability to summon moments of staggering brilliance were some of the familiar motifs of this latest Bale script.
The first goal was plucked right from the greatest hits, a sumptuous 25-yard free-kick lashed into the top corner, and the second was hit on the run and with equal precision.
The newest iteration of Bale is this one. Bale's appetite to run at defenders has waned.
Bale has an arsenal of weapons at the age of 33 which compensates for the gradual decline of his physical powers.
His technique remains exemplary, as does his aerial ability and eye for a spectacular long-range strike, while he is now more careful with his movements.
Bale has an aura even though all this is intact. His presence is unsettles opponents.
It is possible that the reason why Yarmolenko diverted Bale's free-kick into his own net was to give Wales the only goal in the World Cup play-off.
Bale admitted after the game that he was off his best but he was able to decide the result by sheer force of personality.
After a long and drawn out exit from Real Madrid, Bale joined Los Angeles FC and is happy to be a part of the team.
Wales are grateful for the talent they have.
At the beginning of the season, Bale said that he wanted to play in the World Cup. He is close to realizing that dream.
The World Cup may not be the end of the world for the captain, but it feels like the missing piece.
Bale is a different player to the one who wreaked havoc on defences in the premier league and across Europe, but he is still a phenomenon who can still change a game.
Wales don't mourn who Bale isn't anymore, they celebrate all he has done, and they still care about Bale.
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