Gareth Bale could have been lining up for Manchester United as a younger player, but he decided to go to Tottenham, where he established himself as one of the most explosive forwards around
Gareth Bale looked on with delight as Tottenham Hotspur claimed their first trophy in 17 years after defeating Manchester United. Yet, the tale of the Welshman's career trajectory might have taken an alternate route had he accepted an offer from the Red Devils rather than joining Spurs.
Almost twenty years back, a youthful Bale was stealing headlines as a full-back, finding the net five times and setting up another 12 over 45 matches for Southampton, who were then in the Championship. Daniel Levy, stepping into the role of Spurs chairman, had his eye on Bale but faced formidable competition from Premier League titan Sir Alex Ferguson and the board at Manchester United.
However, Bale shunned the advances of Ferguson in favour of a move to north London in 2007. Reflecting on this pivotal choice in 2023 on his Airwayz channel, Bale credited the decision as instrumental in his success.
The now-35-year-old said: "I rejected Manchester United and went to Tottenham. At that time, United were the biggest team in the league, they were winning trophies, they had the biggest players, the best manager.
"The easiest decision would be to go to Man United and the biggest club. You always want to be at the biggest clubs but I took the approach that I wanted to be playing first-team football."
Bale's decision to join Spurs led to a six-season spell which saw him transition from left-back to a much more influential forward. He notched up 42 goals across 142 appearances, leaving a mark during his tenure in the Premier League.
The Welshman then secured a sensational move to Spanish titans Real Madrid in 2013, setting a world-record fee at the time of £85million. He linked up with superstars such as ex-United star Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Casemiro, and Luka Modric.
During his nine seasons wearing the revered Madrid strip, Bale scored 106 goals over 258 appearances, winning five Champions League titles, three La Liga triumphs, and numerous other honours.
A loan spell back at Spurs was followed by a stint with Los Angeles FC before he retired in 2023, cementing his legacy as one of the prodigious talents in both Welsh and global football history.
Some might think Bale would rue bypassing Ferguson's United, who seized the Premier League crown in 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2013 under Sir Alex, for Spurs. But the ex-winger insisted that at a young age, regular first-team action meant more to him than monetary gain or immediate success.
He added: "At that age, a lot of players would go for the money and would want to go to a bigger club.
"But I was playing, developing and learning. It was an important part of my development to keep playing first-team football because you can't replicate that."
Now, it seems Bale gets to smirk at the side he could have joined, especially after their disheartening European clash this past week.
During TNT Sport's coverage of Spurs' 1-0 triumph in the Europa League final, Bale was asked if the victory would dispel the 'Spursy' label often associated with the club's history of near misses.
He swiftly turned the conversation to United's recent struggles, as he added: "It could be a United-y thing now, I am telling you. But it gets rid of that stigma now for sure, and hopefully we can build on it."