Jermain Defoe says Gareth Bale was "sulking like a baby" before Spurs transfer
Gareth Bale ‘sulked like a baby’ as he attempted to force through his mega money move to Real Madrid, Jermain Defoe has revealed.
The former Welsh winger completed a then world-record £85m move to the Santiago Bernabeu after a sensational season in North London. While Los Blancos made their interest known from the off, there were a number of hurdles to overcome as negotiations dragged on.
The delay even extended into the next campaign and Defoe has now revealed what Bale was like as he awaited his switch during a pre-season tour. Speaking on The Players’ Channel podcast, the former Spurs striker said: “We went to Hong Kong and he travelled.
“After training, we were having lunch. At this point he’s started sulking because he’s probably thinking ‘I’m in Hong Kong, I just want to go to Madrid’.
"Fair enough. He’s sitting there like this just sulking right, like a little baby. I’m like ‘Gaz, what’s wrong with you? What, you’re not going to eat? Just you’re going Madrid, you’re not going to eat?’
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"‘Gaz, come on man. If it don’t happen, it’s cool. Just stay here, it’s alright, it’s only Madrid’. At the time, he was probably thinking ‘right, this is close’. But there was no guarantee it was going to happen. He had to come pre-season. Like if you’re not going to Madrid, you have to do a pre-season. You’re a Tottenham player.”
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Bale eventually sealed his move to Spain on September 1 and he went on to be a huge success with Real Madrid. He scored 106 goals in 258 appearances in all competitions - helping the club win three La Liga titles, five Champions Leagues, the Copa del Rey and much more.
Back in 2019, he claimed that he did not have any regrets over leaving North London. Speaking to BT Sport, he said: "I appreciated everything Tottenham had done for me but I think they did understand at the time that when such a big club comes in for you like Real Madrid it is difficult to turn them down.
"Even though I was enjoying my time at Tottenham, loved the club and I still do, to have Real Madrid come for you, you’ll regret saying no."
Bale’s final few seasons at Real Madrid were ruined by a succession of injuries. He returned to Spurs for a season-long loan spell during the 2020/21 season, netting 16 times in 34 appearances.
He rounded off his career with MLS side LAFC and scored a late goal in the MLS Cup final to send the game to penalties - the side running out victorious for their first-ever title. Bale announced his retirement from football in the aftermath of the Qatar World Cup.
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