Gary Lineker has been discussing former Tottenham ace Gareth Bale ahead of this weekend’s Champions League final.
Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker has been talking up Gareth Bale ahead of this weekend’s Champions League final.
Bale is bidding to win his third Champions League with Real Madrid, when they take on Juventus in Cardiff.
Former Spurs striker Lineker told The Telegraph how he backed him to be a success at Tottenham right from the start, even when the Welshman appeared to be struggling.
Wales’ Gareth Bale celebrates
Lineker said that his belief in Bale even caused him a bit of grief, but he is glad he stuck to his guns.
He said: “I kind of bigged him up early days at Tottenham, and got a lot of stick on Twitter – but you get a lot of stick on Twitter about everything – for it, but thankfully he proved me right after a period.”
Lineker went onto claim that Bale is already among the top 10 British players of all time, having proved his class at international level by helping Wales to the Euro 2016 semi-final last summer.
Wales’ Gareth Bale reacts
After an incredible 2012/13 season at Tottenham, Bale was bought by Real Madrid for a world record fee.
Last month he clinched his first La Liga title with the club, having been made to wait by Barcelona and Atletico Madrid despite their success at Champions League level.
Bale has come a long way since he joined Tottenham back in 2007, struggling initially. A combination of injury and poor luck meant it took him a remarkable 24 matches for the club to register his first win in Spurs colours.
Manager Harry Redknapp eventually got the best out of him before Andre Villas-Boas took his performances to another level, prompting Real Madrid to splash out on him and not look back.
Gareth Bale – Tottenham Hotspur
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
