EXCLUSIVE
The Champions League has always been special for Gareth Bale. The Welsh winger announced his arrival as one of Europe's foremost talents with his famous hat trick at San Siro for Tottenham in the tournament a few years ago and, in the same stadium last May, he picked up his second winners' medal for Real Madrid.
VIDEO: Gareth Bale's Champions League memories
Bale is one of a handful of British players to have won Europe's premier club competition twice. His former international teammate Ryan Giggs is another, along with another former Madrid man, Steve McManaman, and a few more members of Sir Alex's Ferguson's Manchester United side: Paul Scholes, Wes Brown and Owen Hargreaves (who won it once with Bayern Munich). Gary Neville, who was also still at Old Trafford in 2008, did not make enough appearances to earn a winners' medal that year.
But Bale's Champions League dreams were almost over before they had started. After Tottenham finished fourth to qualify for the preliminary stages of the 2010-11 edition, Harry Redknapp's men were drawn against Swiss side Young Boys and found themselves 3-0 down after half an hour on an artificial pitch in Bern.
"I remember it like it was yesterday," Bale told Goal in an exclusive interview. "First and foremost the experience of walking out to the Champions League music for the first time was an incredible feeling. It was a very bad start to the game. I remember we were playing on a 3G pitch and it was very wet. We weren’t used to playing on that type of surface so it really did catch us out.
"I remember the ball sliding through to them a few times and we were 3-0 down before we knew it. But we regrouped, we knew we were a great team, and we had a lot of character in the team. We pulled a goal back and waited for the second leg and it all finished there."
After surviving that scare, Tottenham met defending champion Inter in the group stages and there was another first-half nightmare as Spurs shipped four goals in the first 45 minutes of the teams' first meeting at San Siro, with goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes was sent off. However, instead of going on to suffer a humiliating defeat, the north Londoners almost produced a shock as a brilliant Bale hat trick brought it back to 4-3.
"It wasn’t a good feeling at halftime," Bale said. "4-0 down, down to 10 men against the reigning European champions is never a good place to be. Harry Redknapp, the manager at the time, said we needed to fight for our pride and we went out onto the pitch and gave it everything. The whole team gave everything and it was an incredible feeling.
"I think that if there was a few more minutes left on the clock I’m sure we would have equalised, we had the momentum in the game. Even though we lost, it felt like a victory. We found ourselves, we could compete at that level, even though it was with 10 men it felt like we had that belief going into the next games."
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The next match was even more memorable for Tottenham. Two weeks later against Inter, this time at White Hart Lane, Bale inspired a superb 3-1 win in which he tormented one of the world's best right backs as Spurs supporters sang "Taxi for Maicon" to the dazed Brazilian.
"I think as I said about the away game, we felt that confidence," Bale said. "We got back to 4-3 and we felt like we belonged on that stage. Then obviously having Inter at home, we really felt like we could beat them. Everyone was incredible and it was a night we’ll never forget."
Ironically, Tottenham's Champions League journey that season ended against Real Madrid as Bale's first taste of the Santiago Bernabeu saw Spurs beaten 4-0 by his future club as Peter Crouch was sent off early on in the quarterfinal first leg.
"Obviously it was the first time in the Champions League for us, and you want to test yourself against the big teams in the big stadiums," Bale said. "We had done that in the previous rounds and Real Madrid was the pinnacle.
"It wasn’t the best start to the game when we went down to 10 men after 15-16 minutes and it was a difficult game from there on in. The atmosphere in the stadium – I remember saying at the time I’d never heard or felt anything like it and what an amazing stadium. It was an incredible experience and obviously I’m lucky to be playing there every week now."
Despite finishing fourth again in 2011-12, Tottenham never returned to the Champions League during Bale's time at White Hart Lane. However, the Welshman was involved again in 2013 after signing for Madrid in a world-record deal that summer. And he made his debut against Galatasaray in a 6-1 win in Istanbul.
"Coming to the club I was very excited to be here anyway and this is what the club is about – winning Champions Leagues," Bale said. "To make my debut in the competition was another amazing achievement for me. I felt it was very special and it was the start of the journey to winning the Champions League that year."
Madrid went on to win the competition for the 10th time: La Decima. Real beat Atletico as Bale scored his side's second in extra time after Sergio Ramos had headed a late, late leveller. It was the club's first European Cup since 2002 and one that had been talked about ever since Zinedine Zidane's volley had claimed the team's ninth continental crown in Glasgow.
"It was incredible," Bale said. "When I signed for Madrid, everyone was talking about La Decima and it was the reason I was here, to try and help with the 10th. To win it in your first season, you couldn’t dream of anything better. To score in the final was an amazing feeling and an amazing experience and one that will always live with me."
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Back at San Siro last May, Bale won it again, scoring one of the penalties in the shootout despite severe cramps that had restricted his movement in the latter stages of the game - against Atletico again.
"It was a very difficult game against them," he said. "It was a very tense affair, very humid, and a lot of people went down with cramp in extra time, me being one of them. I remember obviously the game had finished, I was lying on the floor stretching, trying to get rid of all this cramp and the manager came to me and said: ‘Do you want to take a penalty?’ and I was like: ‘100 percent.’
"I obviously wanted to do my bit for the team. I remember walking up to the penalty – I actually didn’t feel nervous at all, I always watch it on TV and feel nervous for the people who are taking them – I stepped up. I felt very calm, scored the penalty, and got a bit of cramp after!
"I felt quite nervous after taking mine actually, just watching it is very nerve wracking. But taking it myself, I felt comfortable in my own ability and obviously it was a great experience to watch it and win a shootout in the Champions League final - you can’t ask for any more."
But Bale does want more. The 27-year-old has just signed a new six-year contract at Real and is already setting his sights on another Champions League crown, with the final to be played in his native Cardiff next June.
"There are some great teams in the competition," he said. "But we believe we can win it again. That's our aim."
So, even though he has won it twice already, Bale's journey in the Champions League looks to be far from finished yet.
