Gareth Bale reveals he snubbed blockbuster Man Utd transfer and explains why

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GARETH BALE says he took the tough route to becoming a football superstar by rejecting Manchester United.

The 34-year-old, who retired in January, had a stellar career, winning five Champions Leagues with Real Madrid and still remains Wales’ record cap-holder and goalscorer.

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Gareth Bale chose Spurs ahead of Man Utd and then won the Champions League five times in his nine years with Real Madrid[/caption]

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Bale made his PGA debut in February and will play in the celebrity Ryder Cup[/caption]

But Bale believes turning down Sir Alex Ferguson when the-then teenager moved from Southampton to Spurs in 2007 provided the platform for his future success.

Bale said: “I rejected Manchester United and went to Tottenham. 

“At that time, United were the biggest team in the league, they were winning trophies, they had the biggest players, the best manager,

“The easiest decision would be to go to Man United and the biggest club. 

“You always want to be at the biggest clubs but I took the approach that I wanted to be playing first-team football.”

Bale, who will play in the celebrity Ryder Cup in Rome later this month, is now passing on his advice to aspiring stars.

Bale told his Airwayz channel: “At that age, a lot of players would go for the money and would want to go to a bigger club.

“But I was playing, developing and learning. It was an important part of my development to keep playing first-team football because you can’t replicate that.”