Rivaldo: Bale will regret it if he doesn’t make the most of Tottenham loan

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 3 min read

Former Barcelona forward Rivaldo has suggested Gareth Bale should make the most of his loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur or risk regretting it forever. 

The Welsh international made the move to London to try and rebuild his career after a number of underperforming campaigns in Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid squad. 

However, Bale’s return to the Premier League hasn’t exactly gone to plan for the 331-year-old forward. 

To date, the on-loan star has made just 16 appearances for Jose Mourinho’s team and provided just four goals. 

As such, reports in England have begun suggesting that Bale has either fallen out with his Spurs manager or has given up as he did before in Madrid. 

And Rivaldo believes Bale needs to get his act together and make the most of his spell at Tottenham, or he may end up regretting it when he retires. 

“After his situation at Real Madrid, it seems like Gareth Bale is having the same problems at Spurs after Jose Mourinho complained about the player’s lack of commitment,” the Brazilian told Betfair. 

“It’s sad to watch such a talented player wasting years of his professional career. Playing football is beautiful and we must enjoy it and dedicate ourselves to the maximum while it’s still possible.

“If you fail to show commitment, you could regret it when your career is over. You’ll feel that you didn’t give everything you could to become one of the best players on the planet. This is the problem Bale faces.

“But there’s still time for Bale to recover and get back to that enthusiastic player he was in his first spell at Tottenham and the early years at Madrid. My advice to him is to refocus and give everything while you’re young enough. 

“When the time for retirement comes you won’t be able to roll back the years and may end up feeling regret.”

However, Bale’s return to the Premier League hasn’t exactly gone to plan for the 331-year-old forward. 

To date, the on-loan star has made just 16 appearances for Jose Mourinho’s team and provided just four goals. 

As such, reports in England have begun suggesting that Bale has either fallen out with his Spurs manager or has given up as he did before in Madrid. 

And Rivaldo believes Bale needs to get his act together and make the most of his spell at Tottenham, or he may end up regretting it when he retires. 

“After his situation at Real Madrid, it seems like Gareth Bale is having the same problems at Spurs after Jose Mourinho complained about the player’s lack of commitment,” the Brazilian told Betfair. 

“It’s sad to watch such a talented player wasting years of his professional career. Playing football is beautiful and we must enjoy it and dedicate ourselves to the maximum while it’s still possible.

“If you fail to show commitment, you could regret it when your career is over. You’ll feel that you didn’t give everything you could to become one of the best players on the planet. This is the problem Bale faces.

“But there’s still time for Bale to recover and get back to that enthusiastic player he was in his first spell at Tottenham and the early years at Madrid. My advice to him is to refocus and give everything while you’re young enough. 

“When the time for retirement comes you won’t be able to roll back the years and may end up feeling regret.”