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You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again now – form is temporary, class is permanent.
This equates, in recent Fantasy Premier League (FPL) terms at least, to 19 points. Or it does if your name is Gareth Bale.
That’s the whopping great haul he brought in at the weekend when he starred in Tottenham’s 4-0 drubbing of Burnley.
But did that star turn prompt a Bale bounce on Football Index?
Football Index is a real-money betting platform where you can buy and sell shares in footballers.
These players’ value can rise or fall depending on their performance both on and off the field.
I’m actively using FI this season with more than a nod to FPL, seeing which aspects of each game marry up, and which don’t.
The short answer to the Bale question? Yes.
The Welshman, golfer and Real Madrid staff member (in that order) had an FI share price on the day before the Burnley game of £0.83. It began to rise in the hours leading up to the fixture and then peaked post-match at £1.49. It was bobbing along around the £1.40 mark ahead of Thursday’s Spurs trip to Fulham.
Even if things calm down, it’s worth noting that the winger’s price was as low as £0.48 just over a month ago – a classic example of FI’s basic game plan to buy low and sell high and a reminder that even those players advancing in years can still return high yields.
But the potential for winnings doesn’t stop there, and it certainly didn’t for Bale owners over the weekend.
His Burnley blockbuster caught the eye of the media, that’s for sure. Bale topped the FI media rankings on both the day of the game (February 28) and the day after, bringing in 10p per share of Media Dividends over that 48-hour period.
Unsurprisingly, his 19-point haul on FPL had him as the top scorer in the Kings of the Gameweek team – even before the Fulham fixture.
And on FI, his Sunday special earned him the overall winner slot in the Match Day Dividends, which meant another 14p per share for his owners.
The next burning Bale question is: can he now deliver on a consistent basis?
A look at Tottenham’s domestic schedule suggests he can.
The next few matches aren’t entirely trouble-free, with a north London derby, a trip to Aston Villa and a visit from Man United offset by Crystal Palace at home and Newcastle away.
After that, there’s a similar mix of wheat and chaff, plus a re-arranged visit from Southampton still to be given a date.
Spurs will also be involved in UEFA Europa League Round of 16 action, against Dinamo Zagreb, from next Thursday.
And then there’s the matter of Wales.
A match-fit and in-form Bale hasn’t got that many international tournaments left in him, which could make the timing of this summer’s European Championships especially tasty.
No FPL manager likes an international break, but those FI traders with a more than passing interest in Bale might welcome the end of March, when Wales will start their World Cup qualifying campaign with matches against Belgium and the Czech Republic.
Should Bale re-find his international mojo, there’s the chance of more Media Dividends to come before, during and after the Euros, with Spurs deciding whether to make his loan move permanent a potential summer saga in the making.
And if you can’t bear Bale, there’s always Harry Kane (£3.67), who should also be in action this summer and whose recent share price peaked at £7.35 just over a year ago.
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3 years, 1 month agoAs a huge differential in my ML I would love to captain KdB. But I think I will surely get burnt by Gundo captainers.