‘Gaz’, the ‘superstar’ who never changed - Ledley and Daws on Gareth Bale’s retirement
Tue 10 January 2023, 13:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
One of our modern-day greats, Gareth Bale announced his retirement from football on Monday.
Perhaps it’s apt that he went out on the high of representing his beloved Wales at the World Cup. He’d done so much to get The Dragons to their first World Cup finals since 1958 and, 111 caps down the line, his 41st and final goal for his country was on that world stage, a penalty to secure a point against USA in Qatar.
For Spurs fans, there are so many memories, from one of his first goals in a Spurs shirt, a free-kick against Arsenal in 2007, to, in front of our eyes, his development into one of the best players in the world, his displays in our first season in the UEFA Champions League in 2010/11, to magnificent strike after magnificent strike as he racked up 26 goals in 2012/13, his final season here.
From there, his career is well-documented, winning everything with Real Madrid on top of five Champions Leagues, scoring in two finals, including his famous overhead kick to beat Liverpool in 2018. His last club action was typical Bale, off the bench for Los Angeles FC in the MLS Cup Final, he scored a last-minute equaliser against Philadelphia Union to take the game to a penalty shoot-out, which LA duly won.
Ledley King and Michael Dawson were Gareth’s captains during his time at Spurs, 2007-2013. Both remember this young talent arriving from Southampton aged just 17, and how he overcame some tough early days, particularly injuries and that infamous record of not being on the winning side for his first 24 Premier League games for us, to become one of the best we’ve seen in Lilywhite...
Ledley King
Gareth’s team-mate and captain, 2007-2012
“I remember Gareth arriving at the Club as a young boy, and we could all see his talent straight away. He was a great size for his age, strong, he could run all day and had a wand of a left foot. My first impressions were, with all those attributes, that he was going to be a brilliant left-back, or possibly a wing-back. What we didn’t expect at the time was the impact he would have further up the pitch, being able to play across the forward line, left, right, central, by the end of his time here, he could do it all.
“I’ll tell the truth, in the earlier days, you could tell things were getting him down a little, like the stat that it took him a while to be on a winning team for us in the Premier League. It wasn’t really anything to do with him, but he’d hear about it, read about it, and you could see it had a bit of an affect on him, but once he got over that hurdle, he went from strength to strength. We all saw a growth in confidence, he worked hard, got stronger and took his game to a whole new level. The season after I retired, 2012/13, I’ll probably say that’s the best individual season I’ve ever seen, in terms of match-winning performances. I think I’m right that he scored nine winning goals for us that season, and most of the goals were spectacular. He was incredible.
“The thing is, Gareth never changed as a person. When he came back to the Club in 2020 when I was on the coaching staff under Jose Mourinho, I’d thought I’d maybe see a different Gareth to the one who left the club in 2013, but he was exactly the same, always laughing, smiling, joking. It was great for him that he had the Welsh boys here, Ben Davies and Joe Rodon, and he just slipped right back into the Club. By then, he was a world superstar, but he never acted like one. He was very much one of the lads, and everyone loved him.”
Michael Dawson
Team-mate 2007-2013, captain 2012/13
“Gaz was phenomenal, that’s all I can say. As a player, with everything he achieved in his career, but also as a team-mate and a friend. When he came into the club, he was a young left-back, maybe not as ready for that step as he thought he was, coming to a massive club like Spurs. I’m sure, at times, it was difficult for him, there were superstars everywhere and it took him a while to settle but, wow, when he got his feet under the table, he was a special, special player. I believe he took us to the next level. We had some top, top players, but he was world class - world-class players can win matches out of nothing, and that’s what Gaz did for us.
“Everyone remembers his hat-trick against Inter in 2010, that was the making of him, doing something like that on the biggest stage. He did it so many times for us in the Premier League. I was fortunate to play with world-class players like Luka Modric, Robbie Keane, Jermain Defoe, Dimitar Berbatov, Ledley King, but Gaz could win matches on his own, that’s what he did. Also, he could pick the ball up on the edge of our box and take us up the field in a matter of seconds. As a defender, it makes your job a lot easier if you’ve someone who can get you up the other end of the pitch in five seconds, and then put the ball in the back of the net! He petrified the opposition, that’s what can happen when you have a player of that calibre in your team. At times, he was unplayable.
“I can only speak highly of him, not just as a player, but also as a person. When he came back to Spurs in 2020, it was such a shame as our fans didn’t get to see him because were in COVID-19 lockdown. I did manage to get to the stadium for a game, I was down in the tunnel and met him again. He sent a shirt to my son, and he still has it up in his room. Those little things are special.
“He’s retired young, really, at 33. He’s had his injuries, and they take their toll. As a player, you know when it’s time. I did a couple of years ago. It must have been going through his mind for a while, because you don’t just retire on a whim. I’m sure it’s something he’s spoken to his family about for a while.
“I sat next to him in the changing room at our old training ground in Chigwell, and watched him grow into a man, a leader. He was a magnificent player, up there with the very best and, as a guy, for what he’s achieved, he’s never changed. It was an honour to share a dressing room with him, to be a team-mate, to be his captain and to see what he’s gone on to achieve. Spurs have had world-class players for generations, and Gaz will certainly go down with the best of them. He’s an icon, a superstar, but the best thing is, to all of us, he’s Gaz.”
