Asked to name the best player he's ever played alongside, Gareth Bale raised a few eyebrows when his answer wasn't his Real Madrid teammate and three-time Balon d'Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Gareth Bale has revealed that the best player he’s ever played with is his former Wales teammate and Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs, not – to the surprise of some – three-time Balon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
"He was my hero"
“For me, the best player is Ryan Giggs. He was my hero growing up and is a legend in world football. And he’s Welsh too,” Bale said during a sponsors event.
Giggs and Bale
Bale and Giggs made just two competitive appearances together for Wales back in 2007 before Giggs retired from international football.
Most decorated footballer in English football
The ex-United winger, now 42, made 672 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 114 goals, and is the most decorated footballer in English football history having won 34 trophies in a glittering career. (13 Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, two Champions Leagues, one European Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup, one Fifa Club World Cup and nine Charity/Community Shields).
Martin Rhys-Jones, the father of Bale's fiancée Emma, has been sentenced to six years in prison by a court in the United States.
Gareth Bale's future father-in-law has been jailed for six years in the United States over a multi-million pound shares scam.
Martin Rhys-Jones, the father of Bale's fiancée Emma Rhys-Jones, admitted money laundering in a $2.9m fraud earlier this year.
Rhys-Jones, 52, and his associates conned investors into buying almost worthless shares at hugely inflated prices.
Salesmen working for him in Barcelona used high pressure tactics to sell shares that were restricted and worth almost nothing, the Mirror reported.
About 250 people were scammed, the court in Buffalo, New York, was told.
'Fraud plain and simple'
The sums involved ranged from about $2,000 to more than $360,000 in one instance.
Rhys-Jones, of Cardiff, was prosecuted in the US as some of the cash went through an account in New York state before being moved overseas.
US District Judge Elizabeth Wolford said he engaged in “fraud plain and simple” in the three-year scam with 250 victims in the UK, US and Canada.
He admitted money laundering. Judge Wolford said he was “motivated by greed and self interest and didn’t take into account the people you were harming.”
Rhys-Jones was in a Spanish prison from May 2012 to March 2013 before being extradited to a US jail. He has already spent four years, three months behind bars.
Eleven others charged
Rhys-Jones is a father-of-five who is reported to have left Cardiff for Barcelona in 2005.
His daughter Emma has been Gareth Bale's partner since she and the football star were at Whitchurch High School in Cardiff together.
According to the Mirror, friends said their wedding was postponed in the hope Emma's dad could attend.
Eleven others were charged including British model Jamie-Lee Church.
Even for a player who is no stranger to headlines, the spotlight has shone particularly brightly on Cristiano Ronaldo over the past week. As well as declaring that, “in my mind I’m always the best,” the Portuguese star came face-to-face with the club that are widely thought to be courting him ahead of a potential mammoth transfer next summer.
It is what happened during Paris Saint-Germain’s visit to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday that continues to be the subject of much speculation. Ronaldo was seen after the final whistle talking into the ear of PSG manager Laurent Blanc, and French publication Le Parisien now claims it knows what Ronaldo said.
"Your team plays very well,” the newspaper reports him as saying. “I would love to work with you.”
Le Parisien also suggests that signing Ronaldo is the priority for PSG next summer. Such a move makes sense because the club’s highest earner, and one of the world’s best-paid players, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, will be out of contract and is expected to depart at the end of the current season.
There is also some foundation supporting the idea that Ronaldo could move on. By the time this season finishes, the 30-year-old will be about to enter the final two years of his contract. It would realistically be the last time for Real Madrid to cash in on their prized asset.
However, on Friday, Ronaldo’s high-profile agent, Jorge Mendes, has claimed he believes his biggest client will be staying at the Bernabeu for some time to come.
“There is lots of speculation and a new story every day,” he said. “But if you ask me, I would say Cristiano will finish his career with Real Madrid and be there for many, many years.”
Still, Le Parisien suggests that a sale of Ronaldo would allow Real Madrid to pursue Chelsea’s Eden Hazard. The Belgian attacking midfielder has also been the subject of plenty of rumors in recent weeks, after a difficult start to the season for both him and his club. The Player of the Year in England last season, Hazard has yet to score this season, and on Wednesday, not for the first time of late, he found himself benched by manager Jose Mourinho. With Mourinho having also publicly criticized Hazard, it appears the 24-year-old may seek a future away from Stamford Bridge, if Mourinho survives Chelsea’s slump in form.
Stories elsewhere, though, claim that it is another winger who Real Madrid have their eye on as a potential replacement for Ronaldo. Spanish publication Don Balon reports that Madrid are keen on Manchester United’s Memphis Depay, and are willing to pay €65 million to take him from Old Trafford.
Memphis only joined the Premier League club from PSV Eindhoven this summer, but he has found the transition to English soccer difficult and has been out of favor with manager Louis van Gaal of late. That might mean that United wouldn’t be too reluctant to cash in on the Netherlands international, yet it would also make it a surprise were Real Madrid prepared to hand over significantly larger check than United paid for him just a few months ago.
But any deal for Memphis could potentially be linked to Manchester United’s seemingly ongoing pursuit of Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale. United have been keen to bring Bale back to the Premier League almost ever since his record transfer to the Bernabeu in 2013. And, according to the Sunday People, they are planning on a £90 million (€126 million) move for the Wales international next summer.
Yet, despite Manchester United’s ongoing interest, there have yet to be any indications that Real Madrid and Bale are ready to part ways. Indeed, it is widely believed that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez urged new manager Rafael Benitez to make Bale a more focal part of the team this season, which he has done by putting the 26-year-old in a central position.
Gareth Bale played his part in Real Madrid's 6-0 demolition of Espanyol and admitted that he returns to his club after international duty these days feeling on top of the world.
After setting up two of Cristiano Ronaldo's five goals and winning a penalty that the Portuguese scored he also said that he now feels more involved under Rafa Benitez than he did last season under Carlo Ancelotti.
On the effect of returning to his club after such stunning international results, Bale said: 'We have worked so hard with Wales over the last six to eight years and that shows in our ranking. Over the last four years we have gone from 117th to tenth. We have got a style of play and a plan in place and we are keeping to that out on the pitch.'
Welsh attacker Gareth Bale played a big role in Real Madrid's 6-0 away demolition of Espanyol
Bale now feels more involved under Rafa Benitez (right) than he did last season under Carlo Ancelotti
Some players come back complaining of fatigue after international exploits but there was no such luck for Espanyol as Real Madrid's forward line showed the kind of form it displayed the season before last when they finished up with 99 goals.
Bale crossed from the left for Ronaldo to score in the first half and then from the right for him to do the same in the second period. He was also brought down by Alvaro Gonzalez to win the spot kick that Ronaldo scored from.
On the return to the kind of form shown in his first season he admitted to feeling more involved under coach Rafa Benitez than he did in his second season under Carlo Ancelotti.
He said: 'I feel like I am more involved this year now. The first year you are running off adrenalin from having just signed – you are so happy to be at the club and that drives you on.
'But in the second year I felt a little bit left out wide and not getting so much of the ball. Now I feel involved in the play and I think that is showing in the games that I am able to assist goals and score goals. We are all working hard on the training ground and on the pitch and it's coming together. We just want to score as many goals as we can.'
Bale scored twice agaist Betis in Real Madrid's last game before the international break, and after a goalless draw in their first game they have now won their last two matches with a 11-0 goal average.
Bale set up two of Cristiano Ronaldo's five goals and won a penalty that the Portuguese scored
He said: 'The most important thing was to keep winning. We knew there was going to be a big game between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid this weekend and that somebody was bound to drop points so we had to take advantage of that.
'It was a bit strange with the transfer window shutting so late but we have been focused since day one. It was not the greatest result from the first game but we have come back very strong with a 5-0 and a 6-0. We are feeling confident and looking strong.'
Thanks in part to Bale's contribution Ronaldo scored five in the win and went past both Alfredo Di Stefano and Raul as Real Madrid's all-time top scorer in the league.
Bale (second right) jumps for the ball at the Cornella-El Prat stadium in the Province of Barcelona
Raul had needed 550 games to reach his 228 goals; Ronaldo has now scored 230 goals in just 204 matches.
Of his team-mate's achievement Bale said: 'To break any record held by such great names is, I'm sure, a great honour for him.'
Real have no World Club Cup distraction this season but when asked if he felt Barcelona going to Japan this December to contest that trophy would help Madrid, Bale said: 'We need to concentrate on ourselves and on every single game. Every point matters in this league. If we concentrate on ourselves then hopefully we can take care of business.'
Bale was brought down by Alvaro Gonzalez to win the spot kick that Ronaldo scored from.
Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly interested in signing Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo. Getty Images
It's of little surprise that big questions loom over the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Major changes to Real Madrid's roster were widely expected with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale’s fates both intertwined and in doubt with the arrival of new manager Rafael Benitez after a disappointing 2014-2015 season under Carlo Ancelotti. The query most often put to Los Blancos supporters is: Should Ronaldo or Bale leave? And at certain points this summer it appeared Madrid president Florentino Perez was close to ending one or both of the player’s stays at the Bernabeu.
For now, it appears Ronaldo’s transfer speculation fire continues to burn while Bale’s future seems more intact with the Spanish giants.
Over the weekend, reports surfaced in the Middle East that Paris Saint-Germain, owned by Qatar Investment Authority, placed a £85.5 million bid on Ronaldo only to have Madrid reject the attempt,according to AS.
Evidently, Perez met with PSG’s ownership on July 4 and the bid was made while questions arose over whether Ronaldo was happy with the switch of managers from Ancelotti to Benitez. Furthermore, Madrid’s perceived favoritism towards Bale was also viewed as reason enough for Ronaldo to desire a new club.
However, Perez staunchly turned down what would be a new record transfer fee and the speculation surrounding Ronaldo’s future continues to swirl in Madrid. Most recently, the possibility of Ronaldo returning to Manchester United keeps rearing its head. United manager Louis van Gaal once again stoked the transfer fire in his comments to Express.
“He may come,” Van Gaal said, “Yes, of course the fans would love it and so would I. But it’s not possible. Why not? Because you have his club Real Madrid, you have Ronaldo and then you have Manchester United – and how much Manchester United want to spend.
“Of course, we are still looking. When it is possible to buy players from that level at a reasonable price then we shall do that because they can contribute and make us better. We are looking for much more creativity.”
The Dutch coach has scoured the globe for more attacking talent, and Ronaldo could certainly help the Red Devils make a run back atop the Premier League table after coming in fourth last year. Ronaldo has spoken very fondly of his time at Old Trafford, but as Van Gaal mentioned, the price would be very high even for the likes of United. Though Van Gaal spoke in a roundabout way, and didn’t really nix the chance of what would be the biggest transfer of this or perhaps the last five summers.
At no point has it been suggested that Ronaldo’s handed Madrid an ultimatum with himself and Bale at the center, but it certainly appears like Los Blancos are weighing the possibility of letting at least one go.
The 30-year-old Ronaldo is coming off one of his greatest seasons, totaling 61 goals, and he is under contract until 2018. However, Madrid may question whether or not Ronaldo has enough left in his legs to guide the squad deep into Champions League at least one more time. There might be the perception that if there was a time to let Ronaldo go, this might be the best time.
Bale is four years Ronaldo’s junior, and though his form fell off in his second season with Madrid, much of the lag in play was attributed to Ronaldo’s perceived ball hogging and Ancelotti’s insistence on playing Bale away from his desired position on the pitch.
And for what it’s worth, Wales manager Chris Coleman believes his star will remain in Madrid despite the interest from such top clubs like United, Chelsea, and Manchester City.
“There is pressure in playing for Real Madrid but Gareth is one of those players who can handle that,”Coleman told The Guardian. “The demands of playing in the Premier League and the demands of playing in La Liga are different. From our point of view we get a fresh Gareth Bale – if he’s in the English Premier League physically it’s more demanding.”
The likelihood of both players leaving Madrid seems all the more unlikely given the heavy speculation surrounding forward Karim Benzema. Daily Telegraph reported Arsenal are preparing to up their bid to £35 million for the masterful French scorer, and his exit would almost certainly cause Madrid to reconsider any move for Bale or Ronaldo.
Raheem Sterling was one of the few positives in a poor City display, which also saw former Aston Villa man Fabian Delph stretchered off just 18 minutes into his debut as a blue
Real Madrid outclassed Manchester City in the International Champions Cup, running out 4-1 winners at the MCG in Melbourne.
Ronaldo and Benzema were both on the scoresheet for Los Blancos as they cruised to victory over Manuel Pellegrini's side, who fielded an inexperienced defensive pairing at the heart of their defence.
Raheem Sterling was one of the few positives in a poor City display, which also saw former Aston Villa man Fabian Delph stretchered off just 18 minutes into his debut as a blue.
Pepe put Rafa Benitez's side three ahead following poor City marking from a corner before Yaya Toure replied with a penalty won by new boy Sterling just before half-time.
Dennis Cheryshev sealed the win for Madrid with a smart finish, on what was a miserable day for the Citizens in Melbourne.
Here are five things we learned from the match:
Sterling shines again
Raheem Sterling: The new signing was one of few bright spots for City
New Manchester City poster boy Raheem Sterling was one of the only shining lights in a poor performance from Pellegrini's men, causing problem after problem for this first choice Real Madrid back four.
Everything positive from a blue point of view seemed to come through the England International as he glided past defenders with ease, won a penalty just before halftime and just generally made a nuisance of himself throughout.
The £49million summer signing has shown good form in both of his pre-season appearances so far, and his new Boss as well as the City faithful will have been impressed with what they have seen so far from their new man.
City's defensive fragilities exposed
Cameron Humphreys struggled against Ronaldo, Benzema and Bale - but who wouldn't?
City can be excused to a certain extent with their young and experimental centre half partnership, however we cannot pin all of the blame on young Cameron Humphreys and Jason Denayer.
With a combined age of just 36 the youngsters at the back may have been slightly out of their depth against a strong Madrid side, who simply blew them away in the first half. They can not be excused however, for their poor defensive line for the second goal, and the lack of marking for the third which really ended the contest before half time.
On the whole City were poor in midfield and even worse at the back, with their failure to do the basics costing them here. Lucky its only pre-season eh?
Benzema, Bale, Ronaldo: frightening
Cristiano Ronaldo: Back among the goals against City
Possibly one of the most formidable attacking trios in European football for as long as many of us will be able to remember, and they look as sharp as ever. If it wasn't for a just as remarkable forward three over at their rivals Barcelona, this particular strike force would have received a great deal more praise last year.
Two quality goals from Benzema and Ronaldo respectively combined with a high intensity performance from Bale was simply too much to handle for Manuel Pellegrini's men, who in truth, were outclassed by Madrid's forward three.
Los Blancos simply tore an inexperienced City back line to shreds in this pre-season tie, with every siege on Joe Hart's goal looking like it would result in a healthier lead for Rafa Benitez's side.
Fabian Delph faces a race to be fit
Fabian Delph: His debut did not last long before he had to come off injured
After his controversial switch from Aston Villa to the Etihad England International Fabian Delph had a debut to forget, lasting just 18 minutes before being stretchered off at the MCG.
In a extremely unlucky start to his career at City the 25-year-old is now surely a huge doubt for the start of the new Premier League season, by picking up what looks to be a hamstring injury.
Isco a future great
Isco is often outshone in this Real Madrid team, with Ronaldo and co soaking up the majority of the media praise and attention.
However on this particular occasion the little Spaniard really stood out, slaloming past challenges and linking up wonderfully with his teammates around him.
He was at the heart of many of Madrid's key attacking moves before being subbed on 76 minutes, hanging on to possession for his side whenever they were under pressure and really kept them ticking over throughout.
The 23-year-old has reached a stage in his career in which he could either kick on and become a real star or fade away beneath the countless other world beaters in this Los Blancos team, but based on this performance alone he could well grow into a Superstar under the management of Rafa Benitez.
Some fans just want a hug
One over-excited fan was tackled by a steward after he stormed onto the pitch and tried to reach Gareth Bale during the match.
Sporting a bright pink top, he held out his hand, seemingly desperate to touch the former Tottenham man, but he was quickly tackled by a steward who had run on to follow him.
Bale did not appear to be shaken up by the incident and continued the match as normal after the pitch invader had been removed.
Nearly! A pitch invader is seems desperate to reach Gareth Bale
Almost there: He nearly gets to the Welshman, but...
... a steward catches him and grabs him around the waist
Jese, Raphael Varane and James Rodriguez were all on the scoresheet as Rafa Benitez's men secured the.
Real Madrid continued their fine pre-season form with a resounding win over Inter Milan on Monday.
Los Blancos fired three goals past a helpless Samir Handanovic as they brushed aside Roberto Mancini's men during an exhibition game in China.
Jese fooled the goalkeeper to slot home at the near post to open the scoring, before defender Raphael Varane doubled the score with an uncharacteristic poachers' finish.
But the goal of the game was saved for the dying moments, when James Rodriguezwas placed on free-kick duty with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale both already taken off.
The Colombian smashed the free-kick over the wall and just out of reach of the helpless Handanovic to round off the scoring.
Welshman frustrates his Bernabeu teammate by failing to pass in pre-season friendly, but looks just as annoyed when serenaded by young Madrid supporters
After a difficult second season as a Real Madrid player, Gareth Bale has many to win over at the Bernabeu – and if one of those is Cristiano Ronaldo, he’s going the wrong way about it.
Bale suffered the ignominy of boos from his own supporters back in January when, during a home match against Espanyol, he chose to shoot instead of passing to his goal-crazy teammate.
And old habits are proving to die hard if the video footage of Real’s pre-season friendly with Roma in Australia is anything to go by.
During the goalless draw at the MCG, Ronaldo is shown to call repeatedly for the ball while sprinting into the box only to be ignored by Bale. The manner is which the Portuguese star looks exasperatedly to the sky as the attack breaks down is the very essence of a man who has run for a bus and missed it.
The evening did not get much better for Bale, Ronaldo and co. either as Roma prevailed in a penalty shootout at the final whistle in what was Rafa Benitez’s first game in charge of Los Blancos.
But if Bale is struggling to match Ronaldo’s exploits on the pitch, he’s having no trouble replicating his surly demeanour off it.
The Wales forward celebrated his 26th birthday on Thursday, but looked less than impressed when some knowledgeable Madrid fans decided to serenade him with the old favourite “Happy Birthday” as he signed autographs outside the stadium
Gareth Bale was forced to spend Monday in the gym after Real Madrid doctors ruled him out of training on the Spanish club's pre-season tour.
Only full-back Danilo played more minutes than the Welshman in Madrid's friendly defeat to Roma in Melbourne on Saturday, and the winger paid the price with a hip problem that prevented him from joining in with his teammates on the training pitch.
The word out of the Bernabeu club is that his absence was only precautionary, and that he is still in line to face Manchester City at the MCG on Friday.
Bale needs to bounce back after a tough campaign last year, with his struggles partially attributed to a frosty on-field relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo .
And the game with Roma appeared to show that their bond hasn't grown any stronger during the off season.
During Los Blancos' pre-season clash with the Serie A giants, Ronaldo was visibly frustrated with Bale for not playing him in for a shot at goal.
Bale's decision not to pass to the Portugal star came back to bite him and the team as Roma ended up taking home the spoils .
The two sides played out a 0-0 draw at the MCG - before the Italians won the game on penalties.
It was an uninspiring first game in charge for Rafael Benitez - who saw his side look pretty rusty as they shook off some cobwebs ahead of the new season.
Martin Odegaard was the shining light for Los Blancos - the teenager starting the game alongside Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bale has also been criticised in Spain for appearing to ask Francesco Totti for an autograph post-match.
