‘No one saw that’… Ledley King stunned by how good attacker Tottenham sold eventually became | OneFootball

Ledley King has looked back on his time at Tottenham Hotspur career and insisted one player in particular went on to surprise everyone.

The centre-back was a one-club man and has now become an ambassador for the north London club since he hung his boots up.

One of King’s former Spurs teammates, Gareth Bale, has also now called it a day on his playing days and it is apparent the Welshman left a lasting impression on the defender.

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Gareth Bale surprised even himself

Bale’s time in north London came to an end in 2013 when Real Madrid stumped up a world record transfer fee of £85m.

However, the seasons leading up to Bale’s departure will be fondly remembered by everyone at the club.

During his time at Tottenham, Bale provided a stunning return of 71 goals and 58 assists, but it was the manner which some of his goals came in which will last long in the memories of Spurs fans.

In his final season before his move, Bale became a huge goalscoring weapon for Tottenham and could magic up three points with a swoosh of his left boot.

And it was apparent players like King were in awe of what he was doing on the pitch, as the former Spurs captain told DR Sports Media: “Gareth Bale just grew and grew and grew into a beast. No one saw that [coming]. I don’t think he knew that he could become the player he was,” King said.

“He came in as a left-back or a left wing-back and I knew he had a wand on him. And he could run, so I thought he could be great in the position as a wing-back. But what he grew into, I don’t know how it happened.

“He ended up playing left midfield and what he was able to do from that position, it became a situation where you play where you want to play because you’re winning games for us.”

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Gareth Bale’s one last dance

Before calling it a day on his career, Bale was able to return to N17 for a season loan spell with the club under the watch of Jose Mourinho.

Looking back on that season, Spurs fans can feel robbed of not getting to see more of their Welsh wizard.

Not only was it the season where football was played behind doors at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but Mourinho certainly did not utilise Bale for what he could have offered.

Across the 2020/21 campaign, Bale racked up just 1667 minutes for Spurs, but he was able to return a seriously impressive 16 goals and three assists despite being an option off the bench.

Mourinho’s treatment of the Spurs legend is something that some may not forgive the Portuguese manager for.