ZZ tops: Zinedine Zidane tries to flatter Tottenham superstar Gareth Bale into coming to Real Madrid
ZZ tops: Zinedine Zidane tries to flatter Tottenham superstar Gareth Bale into coming to Real Madrid
'Aside from Ronaldo and Messi, he is the player who has
impressed me the most in the world. He is outstanding' says France
legend
Gong fishing: Bale has cleared up individual awards this season
Michael Regan
Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane last night heaped praise on Gareth Bale in a clear attempt to lure him to the Bernabeu.
Zidane
claimed Bale is world class and in the same bracket as Lionel Messi and
Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the best players on the planet.
Coming
from one of football's all time greats, it was high praise indeed aimed
at turning Bale's head and leaving Tottenham facing a bigger battle to
keep their Welsh flier. Real Madrid have made no secret of their interest in Bale
and Zidane, who still works for the club, admits he has been watching
every single Tottenham game with the sole intention of keeping an eye on
Bale.
Zidane said: "I've been watching Tottenham because Gareth Bale has been playing there.
"Aside from Ronaldo and Messi, he is the player who has impressed me the most in the world. He is outstanding.
"What has particularly impressed me is that he is consistent. It's not just been in one or two matches.
"He is consistently scoring spectacular goals and very important goals. He is very quick, skilful and exciting.
"Of
course all the talented players like that can come to Real Madrid. Is
he good enough for Real Madrid? Of course. He is more than good enough
to play for Real Madrid." TURIN, ITALY - NOVEMBER 20: Zinedine Zidane look on during
the UEFA Champions League Group E match between Juventus and Chelsea at
the Juventus Arena on November 20, 2012 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Clive
Rose/Getty Images)
Clive Rose
It was Zidane's closing remarks which will really set the
alarm bells ringing. That sort of praise marking Bale out as Real
Madrid's No1 target. Tottenham are desperate to tie down Bale to a new contract, as first revealed in Mirror Sport last week.
But Bale has yet to put pen to paper and Zidane's words may make him think again about his future.
Bale
has taken the Premier League by storm this season, sweeping the board
of Player of the Year gongs and scoring spectacular goals.
Zidane
won the World Cup and European Championship with France and now acts as
an ambassador at Real Madrid while also taking his coaching badges.
Real Madrid tried to get Bale last summer and and Spurs fear a blockbusting offer this year that they will find hard to resist without the income of Champions League football.
"I am very happy at Real Madrid," said Zidane. "I have ambitions to manage, to coach and I am taking my diplomas.
"It is something that excites me and I love to work within the game and enjoy working and developing players." Beware: Zidane has first hand experience of Dortmund upset
AFP
Zidane also makes Bayern Munich red hot favourites to win the Champions League final at Wembley.
But from bitter experience, the French maestro, now 40, says Borussia Dortmund should not be taken lightly.
Zidane'
Juventus lost to Borussia Dortmund in the European Cup final, he was
marked out of the game by Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert and just smiled
when asked specifically about Lambert's man marking job on him.
Zidane also believes the strength of German football is refreshing - but clearly feels Spanish teams will be back next year.
He
added: "There's nothing new here, nothing new in seeing German teams
being at the top of the game. What's unusual is to see two German teams
in the final.
"For a lot of people, Bayern are of course favourites. But it's a final, it's one match and of course Dortmund can win.
"When I was at Juventus, we were super favourites, more than favourites, to win and we lost to Dortmund.
"Back
then, they had an ageing team, good players yet older players who were
getting on in life. Everyone expected us to win. It just went to show
anything can happen."
Meanwhile, Zidane last night claimed Jose Mourinho lost his Special powers under the weight of expectation at Real Madrid.
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