Gareth Bale wins Champions League award for goal of the season but NOT for Liverpool final volley

GARETH BALE has won the award for the best Champions League goal of the season but NOT for his incredible Liverpool overhead kick in the final.

The Welsh wizard produced an incredible acrobatic finish for Real Madrid, just 122 seconds after being sent on as a sub but it was another volley – against Borussia Dortmund – that topped the fans’ poll.

AP:Associated Press

Users of UEFA.com voted the 18th-minute strike the competition’s best of the season among some great competition.

Away in Germany in September 2017, Dani Carvajal dinked a cross-field ball over the Dortmund defence and on to Bale’s left peg.

The Manchester United transfer target used the side of his boot to aim a powerful strike across the goal and into the net to set his side on the path to a 3-1 win.

And seven months later he scored one of the great goals of all time against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

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With reports of falling out of favour with boss Zinedine Zidane, Bale was relegated to the bench for the final.

But he was sent on after 61 minutes and bicycle-kicked his way into the history books seconds later.

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Marcelo’s cross was deflected skywards and Bale somehow performed an acrobatic masterclass to beat Loris Karius.

To add to the magic of the strike, the greatest Champions League final goal before Saturday night in Kiev came in 2002 from Zidane, who overlooked Bale again in Ukraine.

Bale added a second in the 83rd minute with a long range effort which slipped through the fingers of keeper Loris Karius.

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Real went on to win the match 3-1, securing the Champions League trophy for 13th time.

The Welshman said after the match that he will re-evaluate his future in the summer.

Bale said: Obviously I was very disappointed not to start the game, I felt I deserved it but the manager makes the decisions. The best I have been doing is to come on and make an impact, I certainly did.

“It has to be the best goal in a Champions League final, there is no bigger stage. I am just happy to get the win

“It is a team game but when you are a substitute, it is a game of more than 11 players. I made an impact.

“We know what we have achieved and how good we have been. The league was disappointing but we won the Champions League. It turns out to be a great season.

“I need to be playing week in, week out and that has not happened this season. I had an injury five, six weeks in but fit ever since. I have to sit down with my agent in the summer and discuss it.”