Gareth Bale is arguably the greatest British footballer of the 21st century. The Welsh wizard built his legacy at Tottenham Hotspur, producing one of the greatest individual seasons in Premier League history in 2012-13 by scoring 21 goals in just 31 games. That earned Bale a move to Real Madrid where he won the Champions League on four occasions, a figure bettered by no British player in history. He also scored one of the tournament's greatest-ever goals in the 2019 final against Liverpool.

For his nation, Bale was a trailblazer, starring for Wales in their dream run to the EURO 2016 semi-finals and helping his country to the World Cup in 2022 after a 64-year hiatus. Bale's career saw him grace the pitch with some of the world's greatest modern day players including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Harry Kane, to name just a few. Despite some of those glittering names of football coming to mind, the Welsh winger has chosen a fellow compatriot as his greatest ever teammate.

Gareth Bale's Greatest Teammate

The former Real Madrid winger was left in awe by one of his Wales teammates

Despite his trophy-filled time at Real Madrid, where the winger scored on 106 occasions during just 258 appearances, the Premier League legend believes his greatest-ever teammate played alongside him in the Welsh national team. Bale recalls feeling star-struck by a fellow Welsh winger, Ryan Giggs. Bale told Foot Locker:

'For me the greatest player is Ryan Giggs. He was my hero growing up and is a legend in world football. It also helps he's a fellow Welshman.'

Bale's admiration for Giggs is reciprocated. The duo played three games together at international level in 2007, a transitional period for the Welsh national team, as Giggs would, in hindsight, pass the weight of national team expectations on to Bale, who is 16 years junior to him. Speaking before Bale's 2008 transfer to Tottenham, Giggs said:

'My advice for Gareth is to just carry on with what he is doing, that is why clubs have been interested in him. He has talent and a good temperament. He should not have any problems. If he carries on doing what he has been doing at Southampton, he won't go far wrong.'

Welsh Wizards Had Contrasting International Fortunes

Wales saw an upturn during Bale's career

Bale and Giggs are two of the greatest Welsh players of the modern era. While their similarly illustrious careers overlapped in 2007, the duo largely played in two very different eras of football for the Welsh national team. During Giggs' international career, Wales failed to qualify for a major international tournament, despite his 64 appearances and 12 goals.

Bale's international career, however, was a stark contrast to the struggles Wales experienced for decades before the winger reached his peak. In 2015, a Bale-inspired Wales team qualified for their first major tournament in 58 years: EURO 2016. During EURO 2016, the former Real Madrid and Tottenham winger scored three times as Wales would reach their first-ever major tournament semi-final.

Bale, who scored 40 times in 111 appearances for Wales, would go on to represent his nation at the following EURO 2020 and 2022 World Cup.