Having been retired since 2023, Gareth Bale is undoubtedly one of his era’s greatest wingers. One of the best British players to play abroad, Bale is best known for his nine-year stint with Real Madrid, where he won three La Liga titles and more notably, five Champions Leagues, three of which were consecutive between 2016 and 2018.
Though Bale sometimes found minutes hard to come by in the Spanish capital, there were never any questions over his quality. The Welshman’s performances, particularly in big games for Madrid, are still fondly remembered. In total, Bale played over 250 games for Real Madrid, notching over 150 goal contributions in those appearances.
Aside from Los Blancos, Bale is best remembered for his time with Tottenham Hotspur where, under Harry Redknapp’s management, he transitioned from a full-back to a winger, something that would pay dividends and then some in Bale’s career. Bale joined Spurs in 2007 from Southampton and would spend six years in North London, not including the 2020/21 campaign which he spent on loan with the Lilywhites.
It was with Spurs that Bale began his ascent to the top of football, with his move to Madrid in 2013 being a world-record transfer fee at the time. It should come as no surprise to learn that Bale, across his career, shared the pitch with some of the best players to ever play the game.
Back in 2021, as per TBR Football, Bale was answering questions on a livestream and named a five-a-side team made up of former Spurs players. In naming this team, Bale mentioned the best centre-back he had ever seen and the name he said may seem a surprise.
Nothing But Praise For Ledley King
Bale thinks highly of former Spurs captain
In naming his team, Bale put forward Ledley King’s name, a former captain of the club and a one-club man for the entirety of his career. Bale stated:
“I would go Ledley King at the back just because he’s the king and he was the best centre-back I’ve ever seen. If it wasn’t for injuries, he would have been the best in the world, no doubt.”
As Bale himself mentioned, King saw his career marred by injuries, which contributed to King retiring in his early 30s back in 2012. Despite that, however, King was evidently a brilliant centre-back, still ranked amongst the greatest defenders to have represented Tottenham.
Between 2002 and 2010, King made 21 appearances for England internationally, in spite of the knee issues that plagued his fitness. King would often train by himself towards the end of his career and though he did not feature much, if at all, in team training, he remained one of the best players in his side, which hardly would have been expected.
At the time of writing, King remains the most recent Spurs captain to have lifted a piece of major silverware, which he did after Spurs beat Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final, a competition in which King was twice a runner-up. King was a player that Bale played alongside for five years, meaning that, regardless of injury, the Welshman saw first-hand just how brilliant King was as a defender.