CULTURE VULTURE
Gareth Bale to Jiangsu Suning: How move to Real Madrid will mean sweltering heat, long flights home but stunning golf courses for Wales ace
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GARETH BALE has reportedly agreed terms to move to China on a £1m-per-week deal with Jiangsu Suning.
But life in the Chinese Super League will be far different to what the golf-obsessed Welsh forward is used to at Real Madrid.
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Bale, 30, spent six years in the Spanish capital, where he lived a low-key life, preferring nights-in instead of hitting the popular hot spots his teammates did.
But is he ready for the culture shock that awaits him in Nanjing, where his purported new club are based?
SunSport maps out what the former Spurs star can expect in the Far East.
GOLF COURSES
His favourite pastime that earned him the nickname "The Golfer" from his Los Blancos teammates, Bale often visited places outside of Madrid to play a round.
The Finca Cortesin in Casares or Real Club de Valderrama in Sotogrande were two he was seen at.
But in Madrid there wasn't as many options, with the best being the Centro Nacional de Golf.
Built in 2006, many punters have complained that the 18-hole course doesn't offer enough variation.
However, in Nanjing you can bet Bale will head straight for the Gary Player-designed course at the Nanjing Zhongshan International Golf Club.
Recognised as one of the best golf courses in the world, the club hosted the 2005 National China Games and the Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2014.
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NIGHTLIFE
To be fair to Bale, he was always one that shunned going out - preferring nights in with his missus Emma Rhys-Jones.
But whenever he did head out in Spain, he opted for fine dining - choosing to eat at the Michelin star restaurant El Filandon.
They served everything from meaty dishes to fish, all served with home-grown vegetables.
In Nanjing his options won't be limited - and he won't just have to eat Chinese every night, even though that does sound a delight.
One of the best restaurants in town is a French eaterie called L'Arome JGO.
Although it's expensive, with mains costing as much as £68 for their best in-house steak, that shouldn't be a problem for Bale on his sky-high salary.
Should he want a night out though, Nanjing's 1912 district is packed full of bars and coffee shops too.
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LOCAL DISHES
Madrid's local cuisine is world famous.
It's understood Bale struggled settling in the city, struggling to learn the language and had difficulty communicating with his teammates.
But should they have passed on culinary tips, you can bet someone must've asked him if he tried cocido madrileño, which is Madrid's traditional chickpea stew with meat and veg.
Huevos rotos, literally broken eggs over potatoes accompanied with meat, is another favourite, and the the bocadillo de calamares (a squid sandwich) is their most famous snack.
In Nanjing, it might get a little trickier for Bale to find something he likes.
Tangbao are large, soup-filled steamed buns or dumplings, that can be made with pork gelatin and crab roe.
Then there's tofu, cooked in a chicken broth and sometimes served with noodles that's hugely popular.
If you're brave, and don't mind salty brine, another Nanjing delicacy is duck soaked in the stuff. Tasty, but not so good for pro athletes.
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ANCIENT CITY WALL VS ROYAL PALACE
The City Wall of Nanjing was designed by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang and completed in 1386.
It took 21 years to build, and used 200,000 labourers to move 7 million cubic metres of earth.
Its original perimeter was an astonishing 22 miles, but it's now been cut down to 13.
The Royal Palace of Madrid is an impressive sight - with over 1,450,000 sq ft of floor space and 3,418 rooms.
The palace was initially built by Muhammad I, Umayyad Emir of Cordoba, between 860 and 880.
Several rooms are open to the public, who can pay a £12 admission fee to have a look inside.
King Felipe VI and the Royal Family do not live in the palace though, choosing the more modest Palace of Zarzuela instead.
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FLIGHTS HOME
Bale was always a homebody, and loved getting back to Wales to see his family.
And travelling from Madrid didn't cost him much, with domestic flights costing around £300 return, if he was to book last minute on Skyscanner.
Sadly though, because there's no direct flights from Madrid to Cardiff - a journey that shouldn't be that long can take 4 hours 25 minutes.
But getting on a place from Nanjing to Wales will be much more of a hardship - and can cost well over £1,000.
Worse still, you'd better hope you're flying in comfort because you'll be on a plane for 19 and a half hours. Ugh.
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WEATHER
Playing in Europe, Bale avoided the summer heat of Spain because of the football calendar.
But in China they play through the summer, so he will have to cope with the searing heat that can reach up to 40 degrees Celsius.
Compared to enjoying a siesta when its preseason in Madrid - with temperatures averaging 28-31 degrees - that'll seem torturous for the Premier League star.
FOOTBALL RIVALRY
Although Atletico Madrid are Real's city rivals, it's Barcelona who Los Blancos fans hate the most.
That's mainly because the two are mostly in competition with each other for the LA Liga and Champions League.
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Bale sampled the El Classico, but he'll have fun playing against Jiangsu Suning's bitter rivals Shanghai Greenland Shenhua F.C.
Their rivalry dates back to the 1960s, when the two teams fought out league championships.
The two teams also contested the 2015 Chinese FA Cup final. Jiangsu won 1–0 to claim their first Cup win and bragging rights.
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