Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso has claimed team mate Gareth Bale’s rise to become a football superstar in the last two years has been meteoric.
Bale was a relative unknown just a few years ago when he moved from Southampton to Tottenham Hotspur. Even at the north London side he took a while to get going, and was close to being sold to Nottingham Forest at one stage.
But a change in position from wing back to winger saw Bale flourish under Harry Redknapp, and he helped Spurs to challenge for the fourth spot in the Premier League and a place in the Champions League. In his one season in Europe’s premier club competition he put in some memorable performances, particularly when he scored a hat trick against Inter Milan at the San Siro.
Although Spurs narrowly missed out to bitter rivals Arsenal for the final Champions League place, Bale had an outstanding campaign for club and country, scoring 31 goals in total. That earned him his 91 million move to Real Madrid in the summer.
Speaking to AS, former Liverpool player Alonso said Bale’s rise had been spectacular, and he was pleased to be playing alongside him.
“When he started in the Premier I was playing there and he was a wing-back. His rise in two years has been meteoric, his position has moved forward and I’m sure he’ll be showing the form he had in the Premier in a few games,” he said.
