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Gareth Bale: The night I mauled the world's best! But Tottenham's Inter killer only got four texts and a call from mum
By MATT LAWTON
Chief Football Correspondent
Last updated at 12:06 AM on 4th November 2010
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Over the 90 minutes Gareth Bale spent destroying Maicon's reputation, his confidence and even some of his team-mates, the Brazilian said just one word to him. 'Sorry.'
Sorry? 'Yeah,' said Bale as he reflected on another astonishing performance against Inter Milan during an exclusive interview with Sportsmail. 'He said it every time he kicked me.' And nothing else? 'No, that was pretty much it. He's a nice guy.'
That may be so but it was extraordinarily gracious. Proof that a man widely regarded as the finest right back in the world is as classy a person as he is a player. 'But I think all the Brazilians are like that,' said Bale. 'They are just unbelievably nice people. Heurelho Gomes always says "Well done" to me after matches.'
Clean pair of heels: Bale leaves Maicon and Lucio for dead to set up Spurs' second goal against Inter
So how did he do it? How, to borrow Rafael van der Vaart's assessment, did he 'kill' the player who was selected in the FIFA World XI at the end of the last World Cup? How did he make Maicon look so ridiculously ordinary, when it was only recently that Phil Neville gave him quite a tough time?
'Against Everton I had the right winger on my toes the whole time with Phil Neville then sitting deep,' he said. 'And if I did go past them, the centre half came across to cover. They tried to stop me as a team.
'No disrespect to Everton but Inter take a different approach. They are European champions and their attitude is that we should be more scared of them than they are of us.
'Against the big teams it is always the same. Both teams go for it and it becomes a battle between individuals. The centre half versus the striker, the full back versus the winger. I had my battle and I just came out on top.
Chewing the fat: Bale chats to Sportsmail's Matt Lawton a day after his heroics against Inter
'I also recognise Maicon as the best right back in the world. I think everyone does. He plays for Brazil ahead of Dani Alves so that says it all. I just got the better of him last night.'
Disarmingly modest, Bale could not have been more determined to play down his contribution to one of the greatest nights in White Hart Lane's long history.
'Harry Redknapp said "Well done" to me, as he did to the whole team,' said Bale. 'It wasn't just me. Luka (Modric) was fantastic. So were Aaron (Lennon) and Rafa (van der Vaart). The centre backs. All the boys.'
This boy is the special one but he's remarkably grounded, too. He said the man-of-the-match champagne would not even be opened because of his dislike for alcohol and the sense of excitement he generated on Tuesday night was not one he took home with him.
Home boy: Bale's old school friends were at White Hart Lane to witness his stellar performance
Had his phone been bombarded with text messages? 'I think I got about four,' he said. And what was he thinking when his head hit the pillow later that night? 'I'm tired.'
He did take a call from his mum, who was understandably thrilled. 'I've had my mum ring me up and say stuff but I've not paid too much attention to it,' he said. 'I've been getting on with what I do normally.'
Touchingly, his old mates from school were there to see him inspire a 3-1 victory that certainly represented the pinnacle of Redknapp's career. Evidence, surely, of his ability to one day manage the England team.
Like everyone else, Bale's friends are probably struck by the speed of his rise to prominence. It was only in the second half of last season that he began to establish himself in the Spurs first team.
'I don't think anything can teach you more than playing week in, week out,' he said. 'You can work hard in training but it comes down to game situations.'
By Wednesday Ricky Villa was comparing him to the best players on the planet. 'I don't want to get carried away,' said the Spurs legend, in London to launch his book. 'But you can mention him in the same breath as Messi and Ronaldo because of what he did against such experienced defenders like Lucio and Maicon.'
And in the dressing room after the match, Bale's teammates took great delight in repeating one of the great terrace chants - 'Taxi for Maicon'. 'A few of the lads were on about that after the game,' smiled Bale. But not him, obviously.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ight-I-mauled-Inter-Milan.html?#ixzz14Gr8x5z5
By MATT LAWTON
Chief Football Correspondent
Last updated at 12:06 AM on 4th November 2010
Comments (0)
Add to My Stories
Over the 90 minutes Gareth Bale spent destroying Maicon's reputation, his confidence and even some of his team-mates, the Brazilian said just one word to him. 'Sorry.'
Sorry? 'Yeah,' said Bale as he reflected on another astonishing performance against Inter Milan during an exclusive interview with Sportsmail. 'He said it every time he kicked me.' And nothing else? 'No, that was pretty much it. He's a nice guy.'
That may be so but it was extraordinarily gracious. Proof that a man widely regarded as the finest right back in the world is as classy a person as he is a player. 'But I think all the Brazilians are like that,' said Bale. 'They are just unbelievably nice people. Heurelho Gomes always says "Well done" to me after matches.'
Clean pair of heels: Bale leaves Maicon and Lucio for dead to set up Spurs' second goal against Inter
So how did he do it? How, to borrow Rafael van der Vaart's assessment, did he 'kill' the player who was selected in the FIFA World XI at the end of the last World Cup? How did he make Maicon look so ridiculously ordinary, when it was only recently that Phil Neville gave him quite a tough time?
'Against Everton I had the right winger on my toes the whole time with Phil Neville then sitting deep,' he said. 'And if I did go past them, the centre half came across to cover. They tried to stop me as a team.
'No disrespect to Everton but Inter take a different approach. They are European champions and their attitude is that we should be more scared of them than they are of us.
'Against the big teams it is always the same. Both teams go for it and it becomes a battle between individuals. The centre half versus the striker, the full back versus the winger. I had my battle and I just came out on top.
Chewing the fat: Bale chats to Sportsmail's Matt Lawton a day after his heroics against Inter
'I also recognise Maicon as the best right back in the world. I think everyone does. He plays for Brazil ahead of Dani Alves so that says it all. I just got the better of him last night.'
Disarmingly modest, Bale could not have been more determined to play down his contribution to one of the greatest nights in White Hart Lane's long history.
'Harry Redknapp said "Well done" to me, as he did to the whole team,' said Bale. 'It wasn't just me. Luka (Modric) was fantastic. So were Aaron (Lennon) and Rafa (van der Vaart). The centre backs. All the boys.'
This boy is the special one but he's remarkably grounded, too. He said the man-of-the-match champagne would not even be opened because of his dislike for alcohol and the sense of excitement he generated on Tuesday night was not one he took home with him.
Home boy: Bale's old school friends were at White Hart Lane to witness his stellar performance
Had his phone been bombarded with text messages? 'I think I got about four,' he said. And what was he thinking when his head hit the pillow later that night? 'I'm tired.'
He did take a call from his mum, who was understandably thrilled. 'I've had my mum ring me up and say stuff but I've not paid too much attention to it,' he said. 'I've been getting on with what I do normally.'
Touchingly, his old mates from school were there to see him inspire a 3-1 victory that certainly represented the pinnacle of Redknapp's career. Evidence, surely, of his ability to one day manage the England team.
Like everyone else, Bale's friends are probably struck by the speed of his rise to prominence. It was only in the second half of last season that he began to establish himself in the Spurs first team.
'I don't think anything can teach you more than playing week in, week out,' he said. 'You can work hard in training but it comes down to game situations.'
By Wednesday Ricky Villa was comparing him to the best players on the planet. 'I don't want to get carried away,' said the Spurs legend, in London to launch his book. 'But you can mention him in the same breath as Messi and Ronaldo because of what he did against such experienced defenders like Lucio and Maicon.'
And in the dressing room after the match, Bale's teammates took great delight in repeating one of the great terrace chants - 'Taxi for Maicon'. 'A few of the lads were on about that after the game,' smiled Bale. But not him, obviously.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ight-I-mauled-Inter-Milan.html?#ixzz14Gr8x5z5
