Will Bale Follow In Ronaldo's Footsteps Yet Again?
To become the first person since Cristiano Ronaldo to do something is impressive - well unless you are Leo Messi in which case you probably did it first. Gareth Bale has followed Ronaldo in becoming only the third person to win the Young Player of the Year the PFA Player of the Year to boot.
Now the question on everyone s lips is will Bale be following in Ronaldo s footsteps again by making the move from the Premier League to La Liga and Real Madrid?
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It is a valid question and despite Andre Villas Boas determination to keep their star- not to mention the lofty price tag slapped on his head - if Spurs were to miss out on a Champions League place again, Bale may feel the time has come to spread his wings.
Having joined Spurs as a teenager in 2007, Bale struggled to find his feet at White Hart Lane, playing 25 games before registering his first win in a Tottenham shirt. The transformation Bale has undertaken is astounding and it's no exaggeration to place him alongside the very best players in the world.
Yes, he is not Messi or Ronaldo but then again who is? Despite the chatter surrounding the likes of Falcao and Neymar, in reality no one holds a candle to the La Liga stars. It is felt that given the opportunity at Madrid, Bale may be able to reach their dizzy heights. Following Zinedine Zidane's recent comments that the world's top clubs won't be deterred by Bale's price-tag, a move for the Welshman is seen as a matter of when not if.
Given the special relationship between Spurs and Real Madrid, which thus far has been more profitable for Spurs after selling Luka Modric for a whopping £33 million only to see him voted the second worst signing in Spain (beaten by Alex Song). Florentino Perez will certainly be wary of the negotiation and valuational skills of Daniel Levy before he makes his next acquisition from the club.
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Last season it was all about #mindthegap for Tottenham and their fans. Following Tottenham's strong first half to this season, #whereisthegap seemed more appropriate after Spurs asserted some dominance over London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea. Gareth Bale has once again been the driving force behind Tottenham's season, dragging them into top four contention yet again.
Should Spurs miss out on a Champions League spot this season, it cannot be blamed on dodgy lasagna or even Chelsea getting help from God, the Devil and everyone in between to win the Champions League in Munich - Spurs simply have themselves to blame.
A player of Bale s calibre should clearly be playing in Europe s premier competition and it would be understandable if the forward himself angled for a move. What does seem more realistic however, especially should Spurs buy well in the summer and take some of the pressure from Bale up top, is a season more with the North London club and then a move to Madrid in 2014 when the future of Ronaldo will be even more up in the air.
Having said that, this is election year at Los Blancos and given the failure in the league this season, only winning the Copa Del Ray could well mean that Perez has to pull out all the stops in order to gain re-election - and landing Bale could well be the key to this.
Where Ronaldo will end up is another matter entirely and fellow Bale admirers Manchester United obviously have more than a vested interest in that. The only thing that is sure for Bale is that the future is certainly bright - but in which white remains to be seen.
Where will Gareth Bale be playing next season? Is the Spurs superstar destined for the Bernabeu? Let us know what you think. Join the conversation online, on Twitter on Facebook.
