We want to thank the fans for all the support we have had. They have been absolutely incredible, we wish we could have done it for them and we'd like to thank all the fans at home and all the ones who have traveled out and behaved themselves. It's been an amazing journey. We look forward to the future.

Gareth Bale

Categorized in : Sports

I was always looking out of the window, looking at my watch, thinking about when I could play football.

Gareth Bale

play football thinking

Every kid's dream is to play in the Champions League and to win it. To actually have achieved that was an amazing feeling.

Gareth Bale

league dream winning

As a kid, you obviously dream of being a professional footballer. I would watch players like Ronaldo of Brazil and pretend to be him in the playground. But I don't think about trying to become one of the best in the world or anything like that. I just play football.

Gareth Bale

dream football kids

I don't go out, so I don't get attention from girls. They're not going to have posters of me on their walls. I just try to get on with my life.

Gareth Bale

wall girl trying

When I was younger, I had some close friends who always loved European football, and Real Madrid at that time were the dominant force. I remember family holidays when we used to go to Spain, and we'd bring back replica shirts of Real Madrid and pretend to be the players when we played in the park.

Gareth Bale

holiday real football

Hello, it's a dream for me to play for Real Madrid. Thank you for the great welcome. Go Madrid!

Gareth Bale

real dream play

The most important thing is to not waste your money.

Gareth Bale

busters waste important

I probably prefer Spanish football to the others. It's very technical, the way they play; they keep the ball well, and whenever Spurs have played against Spanish teams in the past, they've always made it difficult for us.

Gareth Bale

team football past

When you play in the Premier League, say you're playing against a lower-end team, they set up to defend all the time, they set up to block you off. But when you play in the Champions League, all the other teams are used to winning every week, so it's more of an open game, it's more attacking, end-to-end.

Gareth Bale

block team winning

Between 12 and 14, I shot up a ridiculous amount. The muscles were struggling to stretch and grow at the rate my bones were growing. It gave me problems with my back and my hamstrings.

Gareth Bale

ridiculous growing struggle

I play computer games, watch TV and do what normal people do.

Gareth Bale

games play people

I'd say that Spanish football is probably the best I've seen.

Gareth Bale

football

I think La Liga is the best league in the world.

Gareth Bale

league world thinking

I've certainly not got any famous people's numbers on my phone. It's just not my thing, really.

Gareth Bale

phones numbers people

I'm ambitious, I want to play in the Champions League, and that's the aim with Tottenham - to start qualifying for the Champions League on a consistent basis.

Gareth Bale

champions-league ambitious play

It's good to have a bad season because you learn a lot about yourself; you become stronger, and you see where you have to improve.

Gareth Bale

yourself bad good you

When I go on a pitch, I just try to enjoy it as much as I can. The more you enjoy it, the better you play.

Gareth Bale

better you enjoy i-can

I always believed in my ability, but I think in any sport you need that little bit of luck.

Gareth Bale

need think you luck

There seems to be this thing in football where everything has to be... now!

Gareth Bale

everything where now football

Whenever I get days off, I go home, or friends and family come up. I'm in contact with them every day, so it's like we live next door, but obviously we live in two different countries. Football is my job, and everyone around me has given me the opportunity to purely concentrate on football, and everyone else worries about everything else.

Gareth Bale

day me family home