GARETH BALE has admitted he is still a Tottenham fan.
SunSport revealed earlier this week the Wales star will stay at Real Madrid after being told new major signings are on hold amid the coronavirus crisis.
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Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has admitted he is still a Tottenham fanCredit: Getty Images – Getty
But that has not stopped Bale reiterating his love for Spurs, seven years on after he left White Hart Lane for the Bernabeu in a then world-record £86million deal.
Bale revealed he found it difficult watching old club Tottenham lose to Liverpool in last season’s Champions League final in Madrid when speaking to BT Sport’s Throwbacks programme.
He said: “Everybody loves tuning in to watch the Champions League final, and obviously Tottenham were there so I had a very keen interest, I was hoping they’d get to the final like they did. They had some great matches on the way, obviously in the semi-final.
“For us Tottenham fans it was a bit disappointing in the final, but you have to look at the bigger picture. They did great to get there and gave a good account of themselves.”
Bale, who had been linked with a return to Tottenham last January, agreed a deal to sign for Chinese club Jiangsu Suning last summer before the move collapsed.
The 30-year-old has had a strained relationship with boss Zinedine Zidane but, with two years left on his current £650,000-a-week Real deal, looks certain to stay in Madrid.
Welsh wizard Bale left Tottenham in 2013 to join Los BlancosCredit: EPA
During his successful spell in the Spanish capital, Bale has won the Champions League with Real four times – in Lisbon, Milan, his hometown of Cardiff and Kiev.
But he reckons the first time he lifted European’s biggest prize after scoring in Real’s 4-1 extra-time win over cross-city rivals Atletico was the best.
Bale added: “They all have their own special moments. The first one is always so special because I’d never won a trophy before and you don’t know the experience, excitement and euphoria you get from lifting the trophy.
“Winning in my home city was an incredible moment for me personally because not many people get to do that.
“Then the last final (against Liverpool) I played in I scored that goal and for it to be the winning goal was also special.
Bale put Real 2-1 up against Atletico Madrid in the 2014 Champions League finalCredit: Getty – Contributor
“It’s difficult to pick one but in terms of the overall experience I’d go for the first one because it was the first final and I didn’t expect what was coming, the nerves of it and how we won it in the last minute.
“The celebrations were something I’d never experienced before. Everything was just new so it was really exciting and it made it so special.”
Bale has been in lockdown in Spain for the last six weeks but he has urged caution over when the season should resume to avoid a second wave of the virus.
Bale said: “It’s quite a strict lockdown, we can’t go out at all, can’t go out for a walk or exercise or anything. It’s very strict, but I guess we’re all doing it for the greater good.
“Everyone wants to play football, but the most important thing is everyone stays safe, we don’t come back too early and we make sure everything is done safely so we avoid the second wave of this virus.
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“The difficult thing, you hear everyone saying they want to get the season finished and do this and that. But you need to look at the bigger picture, the most important thing is everyone’s health.
“With football, everyone misses it and wants to play, everyone wants to watch.
“But the bigger picture is there will be many more seasons of football, Champions Leagues, leagues and cups, the important thing is getting this right now, if we can get that right, it’ll make football last much longer in the future and we won’t have a problem like this in the future.”
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Gareth Bale shows his footie skills with a golf ball as he stays in to avoid coronavirus
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
