Daily Star

INCREDIBAL­E JOURNEY

Now Gareth wants one last bite of the cherry

- ■ by JAMES NURSEY

AS a young boy growing up in Cardiff, Gareth Bale dreamed of hitting the big time.

But he didn’t just rise to stardom, he ended up winning the Champions League five times and becoming 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’ve over-achieved myself,” said Bale, who turns 33 next month.

“At the start of my career to 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 for seeing out the final year of his £600,000-a-week contract with Real Madrid despite rarely playing. But Bale insists he fulfilled all his ambitions. Reflecting on his stint in the Spanish capital, he said: “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 had a day or two to reflect.

“I can’t really argue with five Champions League medals.

“If you had offered me what I was able to do, I probably would’ve taken it at the start. It has been a good time.

“There have been some high times, some low times, but that is football.”

Wales manager Rob Page’s squad has been ravaged by injuries and suspension and they will be looking to avenge a 2-1 home defeat to Holland in Cardiff last Wednesday.

Burnley’s 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 £60m deal.

Page 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 of football and there is no sympathy involved in that.”

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 ?? ?? ■ HAUL GOOD: Gareth Bale in Wales training yesterday and with his fifth Champions League medal (inset)
■ HAUL GOOD: Gareth Bale in Wales training yesterday and with his fifth Champions League medal (inset)

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