Cardiff City Stadium Tuesday, 19 November 19:45 GMT Live on S4C, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, live text and commentary on the BBC Sport website and app Maybe that is because it came in a friendly at a half-empty stadium, a stage unbefitting for the then Real Madrid star who would become Wales' all-time leading scorer in men's football, lighting up two European Championships and a World Cup. Or perhaps it is overshadowed by the remarkable, mirror-image goal he conjured a month later in a Copa Del Rey final against Barcelona. But for those who saw Wales' 3-1 win against Iceland in 2014, their abiding memory will be Bale's act of genius, the crowning glory of a virtuoso individual performance.
Receiving the ball deep in his own half, Bale motored past Iceland's defenders - and was even forced off the pitch by one flailing would-be tackler - before driving into the box and firing into the bottom corner. Only 13,219 were at Cardiff City Stadium to witness it, but this was a moment of enduring class, a glimpse of brighter times to come on the cusp of Wales' greatest era. A decade on, as Iceland return to Cardiff on Tuesday for the first time since, BBC Sport Wales relives Bale's wonder goal with those who were there.
Having failed to qualify for a major tournament since the 1958 World Cup, Wales were in the midst of a long and painful barren spell - but they sensed it might soon come to an end. The main source for that hope was an emerging golden generation of players, including A.