"I have no regrets" - Gareth Bale opens up on his relationship with former teammates at Real Madrid
Former Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale has shared his experience playing with his former teammates at the Spanish club.
Bale joined Los Blancos from Tottenham Hotspur for €100 million in 2013. He had to face some tough moments on and off the pitch, but the Welshman certainly became a club legend.
He scored some crucial and spectacular goals like in the 2013 Copa del Rey final against Barcelona or the 2018 UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool. Bale formed an excellent partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in attack.
However, during his time at Real Madrid, there were rumors of a rift between the Welshman and Ronaldo. In a recent interview with The Times, Bale has rubbished such claims, saying that he enjoyed playing with his former teammates.
“The players were all good. I know people speak all this, that and the other (particularly about his relationship with Ronaldo, but I never had one single problem with anybody. I don’t think I ever had an argument with anyone,” Bale said.
“Even through the hard times, it was good in the changing room. I honestly really enjoyed my time there apart from the few moments where it was difficult on the pitch. I have no regrets. I made the right decision," he added.
Bale scored 106 goals and provided 67 assists in 258 games for Real Madrid, winning five UEFA Champions League trophies, among others. He left the club last summer to join Los Angeles FC and announced his retirement in January this year.
Gareth Bale says he joined Real Madrid to play with Cristiano Ronaldo and others
Gareth Bale has said that he joined Real Madrid to play with superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and others. He explained that it was an 'incredible opportunity', and he had to take it.
In the interview with The Times, he said:
“It was the reason why I joined, to play with those two [Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema] and the others behind me with Modric, Xabi Alonso and then [Toni] Kroos signed. I felt it was just an incredible opportunity to go to a club where it had amazing players.”
Bale combined for 41 goals in 157 appearances with Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid, assisting the Portuguese legend 32 times.
Meanwhile, he shared the pitch 202 times with Karim Benzema, combining for 30 goals, assisting the Frenchman 19 times.