GARETH BALE says he took the tough route to becoming a football superstar by rejecting Manchester United.
The 34-year-old, who retired in January, had a stellar career, winning five Champions Leagues with Real Madrid and still remains Wales’ record cap-holder and goalscorer.
But Bale believes turning down Sir Alex Ferguson when the-then teenager moved from Southampton to Spurs in 2007 provided the platform for his future success.
Bale said: “I rejected Manchester United and went to Tottenham.
“At that time, United were the biggest team in the league, they were winning trophies, they had the biggest players, the best manager,
“The easiest decision would be to go to Man United and the biggest club.
“You always want to be at the biggest clubs but I took the approach that I wanted to be playing first-team football.”
Bale, who will play in the celebrity Ryder Cup in Rome later this month, is now passing on his advice to aspiring stars.
Bale told his Airwayz channel: “At that age, a lot of players would go for the money and would want to go to a bigger club.
“But I was playing, developing and learning. It was an important part of my development to keep playing first-team football because you can’t replicate that.”
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Huge names such as Novak Djokovic and F1’s Carlos Sainz will join Bale at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in the Ryder Cup All-Star Match.
Golf legends Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin will captain the two teams of five. Scot Monty, 60, is to partner Bale.
The Cardiff-born sporting all-rounder made his PGA debut in February, pairing with Joseph Bramlett at the Pebble Beach pro-am.
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