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‘He turned into one of the best’… Darren Bent says one player really shocked him after he left Tottenham
Darren Bent left Tottenham just before Spurs started to turn a corner in the early 2010s.
The north London club were genuinely one of the most exciting teams in England under Harry Redknapp in that era as the likes of Luka Modric, Rafael Van der Vaart and Jermaine Defoe were all hitting their stride.
However, the jewel in Spurs’ crown at that time was undoubtedly Gareth Bale.
The Welshman would eventually become the after an incredible spell with Spurs, but the winger wasn’t always destined for stardom.
Bale arrived at Spurs as a scrawny left-back, and for his first few months at the club, he couldn’t buy a win.
Speaking on , Darren Bent has been recalling what he remembers of Bale during his time at Spurs, and he says that he never expected him to become the player he did during his time at Tottenham.
Bent shocked by Bale
Bent shared his verdict on Bale during his time at Tottenham.
“Bale, when I played with Bale he wasn’t the Bale that we know. He was a left-back, quite small, he almost got sent to Forest on loan and he didn’t play like we know Bale can. We think about Bale now and he’s one of the best ever,” Bent said.
“Could you see the potential or not?” Bent was asked.
“Not really no, he had a nice left-foot, but he almost got sent on loan and Harry Redknapp was not having him, and then I left and played against them and he came out of the tunnel and I thought, what has he been doing here? Then he turned into one of the best players I’ve ever seen.”
Shocking
It may be hard to believe now, but it was a shock when Bale became a superstar at Spurs.
He was genuinely a struggling left-back for quite some time at Spurs, but almost overnight, he became one of the best players on the planet.
He worked hard, refined his game and became a star, but, for a long time, it looked as though he wasn’t going to be anything special.
Bale is a true case study of what can be achieved in football if you apply yourself properly and give your all to the game.
As Bent says, Bale will go down as one of the greatest players we’ve ever seen.