Gareth Bale is convinced he can handle any pressure at Tottenham after living with a goal on his back at Real Madrid.
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The Wales star is back in north London and itching to get started at Tottenham, with a minor knee injury delaying his second debut for the club.
Bale spent six years at Tottenham before traveling to Madrid in 2013, where he won four Champions League titles and LaLiga twice with Los Blancos, before his time in Spain went sour.
When his performances dipped, and when Zinedine Zidane stopped counting on him as a first-team regular, Bale began to lose faith in the Santiago Bernabeu spectators.
Putting a flag with the now immortal line “Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order” during international service, Bale did no favors.
Zidane’s sideline of Bale led to few complaints in Spain, but the Cardiff – born striker is back in the Premier League and wants to prove his career can lift off again.
He told Sky Sports: “I have obviously gone into a different culture, a different country, I have had to grow up as a person, just like a footballer.
“You just learn how to handle the situations you are in. Of course, I’ve been in huge press situations. I’ve had people on the pitch whistling at the stadium to me.
“I just learned to deal with that kind of thing, not to take it too seriously, [not] take it too much to heart, and just keep at it.
“I do not regret what I have done, anything else has said, it is up to them. I know my opinion of myself and my family know exactly what I am, so that’s all I’m worried about. . “
Spurs hope they have recruited a world-class player who is motivated to prove his qualities again. The deal is originally a seasonal loan.
“We have a great team here now with a great group,” Bale said of Jose Mourinho’s side.
“They have done well. It is clear that in the time I am away, they have continued and continued and obviously reached the Champions League final, that the club has a new stadium, the club itself is better, they do better in the Premier League. League every year.
“So I just want to add to that. I want to try to bring a little more to the team and try to move on even more and keep pushing in the right direction.”
