Gareth Bale was once the most expensive footballer in the world – yet he is now being tabbed as ‘underrated’.
The Welshman was electric in his first spell at Tottenham Hotspur, terrorising defences in the Premier League and in Europe on his way to becoming one of the most wanted players around.
Real Madrid stepped forward and paid a world-record £86million for Bale, handing him a dream move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Maybe it’s his time in Spain that makes people think Bale has been under-valued. Bale managed 105 goals in 251 games for Real whilst winning two league titles and four Champions Leagues, but fans still didn’t really take to him.
It could have been his love of golf, his injury problems, his refusal to learn Spanish… whatever it was, Bale certainly had to leave Real eventually.
A return to Spurs – where he was adored in his first spell – seemed to be the way for Bale to feel loved and get back to his best again, but it’s taken a while to get there.
Bale’s form earlier in the season was pretty dreadful, but he now has racked up three goals and five assists in his last six appearances for Tottenham.
The Welshman could play against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League this evening, meaning he may face compatriot Robbie Burton, the ex-Arsenal midfielder who traded North London for Croatia last year.
Burton has now told iNews that he thinks Bale is a ‘top player’, but feels he is ‘very underrated’ in football despite winning everything at Real, and hopes he doesn’t damage Dinamo too much tonight.
“Bale’s quality is undoubted, he’s a top player who has won everything at Real Madrid so that speaks for itself,” said Burton. “I think he’s very underrated in football, to be honest, but I’m glad he’s doing well personally. Hopefully, he doesn’t damage us too much,” he added.
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