Bale Only Behind Messi and Ronaldo At His Peak, Says Redknapp
At his peak, Gareth Bale was only behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to his former Tottenham Hotspurs manager Harry Redknapp.
Earlier this week, Bale announced his retirement from football at the age of 33.
He is regarded as arguably Britain's greatest football export following a trophy-laden stint with Real Madrid, who he joined for a then-world record £85m from Tottenham Hotspurs in the summer of 2013.
His list of laurels at the Santiago Bernabeu included five Champions League titles, three La Liga trophies, one Copa del Rey, three UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups.
Before moving to Real Madrid, Bale starred under Redknapp at Spurs, where he scored 71 goals in 237 games and won two PFA player of the year awards.
Redknapp has paid tribute to Bale and says he is not surprised by the former Wales captain's decision to bid farewell to football so early.
"I suppose it was a bit of a surprise but not a great surprise," Redknapp told Stats Perform News.
"He'd gone to America [joining MLS side Los Angeles FC in June], not played many games and even though he came on in the [MLS Cup] final and scored a goal, he looked like he wasn't figuring in their team much.
"He played in the World Cup, did okay [and it was] great to get Wales there, a fantastic achievement. But in all honesty, it wasn't a Gareth Bale when they played England [losing 3-0 in the group stage] or anybody really that we've come to see over the years.
"He maybe felt he couldn't reach the heights [he used to] and the standards he set over so many seasons when he was absolutely fantastic for me, when he was the third-best player in the world for a period behind Ronaldo and Messi.
"And maybe he felt he couldn't quite get back to that again and decided [to] maybe call it a day. But he's had a fantastic career."
