5 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TITLES ...I’VE DONE OK
Bale says he has over-achieved in his career but now wants to put ‘cherry on the top’ with Wales in Qatar
AS a young boy growing up in Cardiff, Gareth Bale dreamed of hitting the big time.
And Bale’s rise to super stardom has seen him win the Champions League five times and become his country’s record goalscorer.
Now the Wales captain hopes there is still “one more cherry” to come this winter at the World Cup in Qatar.
“I feel like I have overachieved,” said Bale, who turns 33 next month.
“At the start of my career to then think I have been able to do what I have done and go to major tournaments with Wales, I am quite happy.
“I am just a little kid from Whitchurch.
“If you had offered me this at the start of my career, I would have bitten your hand off.
“Of course you improve as you get older and your goals and ambitions change. But if you had offered me this before I made my professional debut, 99.9 per cent of people would have taken it.
“I am happy with what I have done in my career and hopefully there is just one more cherry on top.”
Bale is now preparing for his final game of the season in Rotterdam tonight against Holland. He is a free agent after the end of his stint in Spain which ended amid criticism from many fans for seeing out the final year of his £600,000-a-week contract at Real Madrid despite rarely playing.
But Bale insists he fulfilled all his ambitions.
Reflecting on his stint in the Spanish capital, he added: “I think it has been a massive success.
“I have had time to think about what I have done and especially leaving Real Madrid.
“We’ve had a day or two to reflect and I can’t really argue with five Champions League medals.
“If you had offered me what I was able to do, I probably would have taken it at the start.
“It has been a good time. There have been some high times, some low times but that is football, things like that happen.” Wales boss Rob Page’s squad for tonight’s game has been ravaged by injuries and suspension – and the Dragons will
be out to avenge a 2-1 home defeat by Holland in Cardiff last Wednesday.
Wout Weghorst scored an injury-time winner thanks to Frenkie de Jong’s run.
Manchester United are now believed to be chasing the Barcelona midfielder in a potential £60million deal.
Page (left) said: “He is a wonderful talent, let’s hope he is in the Premier League next season and the public get to watch him week in week out.
“But from our point of view, absolutely, we will bring him down if he is through one-on-one because we want to win games and there is no sympathy involved in that.”