Gareth Frank Bale is not world class. Reasons cited include the lack of honours won and consistency. The latter comes attached with longevity. There's probably another half a dozen caveats that need to be approved before he can be rubber stamped as better than his most esteemed fellow professionals in the Premier League.

To be honest, the term world class is overused and has lost it's clarity thanks to the difficulty in quantifying the variables (and caveats) to determine a defining conclusion. It's an abstract tag.  Is it truly about longevity at  the very top? Does it still count if you're playing for a lesser side? If you're not winning silverware? Blow hot and cold?

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