Gareth Bale has revealed how close he was to joining Manchester United before signing for Real Madrid for a world-record fee.
Bale, 35, enjoyed a stellar career for Tottenham, Real Madrid and Wales, earning 111 caps for his country, five Champions League winners’ medals, and even won the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year in the same season.
Following his spectacular form in north London, Bale broke the world transfer record in his £85million move to Real Madrid in 2013.
However, he has revealed that it could have all been very different, with United very keen to sign the former winger after winning their 20th league title.
Gareth Bale broke the world transfer record in his £85million move to Real Madrid in 2013.
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The Welsh superstar has cited Alex Ferguson and the ‘ageing’ United squad as the reasons for his snub.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Bale admitted: "There was a couple of times I was close to joining. Never quite materialised.
"Probably the closest was when I actually joined Madrid. It was between Man United and Real Madrid.
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Gareth Bale admitted there was a couple of times he was 'close to joining' Manchester United
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"I think at the time, Sir Alex Ferguson had left. So, it didn't quite have that aura. I think the team was ageing a little bit. I felt like I'd always had my heart set on Madrid anyway.
"But I feel like I made the right decision in the end. Not to be horrible to Man United fans, but I feel like I made the right choice."
Even United fans can agree with Bale that the right choice was made.
Ferguson had retired that year at the top of the game, winning United’s 20th league title, however, the squad was ageing.
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David Moyes was named as his successor, but was sacked after just eight months.
In comparison, Bale would go on to make 258 appearances for Los Blancos, despite his consistent injury problems, contributing to 173 goals in this time.
More importantly, he would win 16 major trophies in the Spanish capital, including five Champions League victories, three Club World Cups and a league title.
Gareth Bale scored a mesmeric brace to beat Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final
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In the same period, United have made it out of the group stage in the Champions League just four times - extraordinarily, this is fewer times than Bale has actually lifted the trophy.
Bale showed no regret that a move to the north west did not materialise - and who can blame him?
He was linked to United again in 2020, but instead made a shock return to north London, who were under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho.
The Welshman reminded Spurs fans, who could not enter the stadium for a large portion of the season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, what they missed, including a stunning hat-trick against Sheffield United.
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Following this, Bale would return to Madrid for a final season, in which he would lift the Champions League trophy one final time, before taking a leaf out of David Beckham’s book in switching the Bernabeu for the MLS.
However, he would make just 14 appearances for Los Angeles FC in the MLS, scoring three goals, before retiring in 2023.
