CL ~ Tottenham vs AC Milan ~ 3.45am (Live)
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SMILES BETTER ... horror run is a distant memory for Spurs sensation BaleSpurs v MilanMio Channel 102 / 110March 9, Time : 3:45 am (Live) (Thur)
GARETH BALE has gone from the man who couldn't win to the best player in the world according to England manager Fabio Capello.After once playing a record 24 Premier League games without finishing on the winning side for Tottenham, the Welsh wideman is now rated at £50million.
Capello is expected at White Hart Lane tonight to watch Spurs try to reach the Champions League quarter-finals by finishing off AC Milan.
And the Italian, who played for and managed Milan, warned his former side: "Gareth Bale is today the No 1 player in the world.
"He is the only one who can make a difference in the role he plays, as he has pace, technique and strength.
"Those are three qualities that are hard to find in a player who is not a striker. Bale doesn't set out from defence like a full-back.
"But he drives forward, and when he gets nearer to goal he moves infield and shoots with amazing accuracy."
Bale, 21, rescued Tottenham's debut Champions League campaign with a sensational hat-trick against Milan's city rivals Inter back in October.
His treble, despite the 4-3 defeat, shoved Tottenham back on track to qualify for the knockout stages as group winners.
Capello added: "Bale reminds me of Roberto Carlos, who was born a left-back and matured both physically and in terms of tactical awareness.
"Carlos was an explosive player, and the only one who came even close to Bale."
The Welsh star missed the first leg in Milan - which Spurs won 1-0 through Peter Crouch's strike - with a back muscle injury.
But he returned as a sub against Wolves on Sunday and is sure Spurs can finish the job against the Italians tonight. Bale said: "It was frustrating to miss the first leg. Tottenham were up against the top side in Serie A, but showed what they can do.
"Any team has its work cut out against us when we are at our best.
"We have lost just one of our 19 home games this season. The San Siro is huge compared to White Hart Lane, which holds just 36,000.
"But the atmosphere is white-hot. We're just five yards from the front row of the stands, and the crowd is literally breathing down our necks. It gives us a huge boost."
Tottenham have scored 25 goals in nine games in the competition this season and manager Harry Redknapp will stick with his attacking policy.
He said: "We've got to go for it. It's not our game to protect a 1-0 lead."
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of course Bale is the greatest player that ever was..........................and ever will be.............
10 Maradonas and 20 Messis combined also got nothing on Bale..................
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You want explosive left wingbacks?? There's robert jarni, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Taye taiwo, kolarov.......
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Mihajlovic...................now that's something else...................
too bad this guy never play his best for Roma.....................
don't forget the legendary Andreas Brehme.......................
as for pure wingers...............even Roberto Donadoni and Thomas Doll never get this kind of praise.................and they were the best of the best................
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still got riise, coentrao, nagatomo.....
let's see if bale can continue to run rings around defenders when he's 36, 37 a la ryan giggs, peter beagrie, neil redfearn