Ledley King has admitted that he expected to see a different side to Gareth Bale when the Welshman rejoined Tottenham in the summer of 2020. Initially departing the Lilywhites seven years earlier after sealing a big-money move to Real Madrid, the attacker, who called time on his professional career on Monday, returned on a season-long loan deal with first-team opportunities few and far between at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Amid plenty of hope from Tottenham fans that he would form a formidable front three alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, Bale wasn't always a regular under Jose Mourinho but he still contributed with 16 goals in all competitions, with 13 of those coming in the second part of the term. King was part of Mourinho's backroom team that campaign and he initially believed that his former teammate would be a different person following his time and success in Madrid.
“The thing is, Gareth never changed as a person," King told Tottenham's official website following the 33-year-old's decision to retire. "When he came back to the club in 2020 when I was on the coaching staff under Jose Mourinho, I’d thought I’d maybe see a different Gareth to the one who left the club in 2013, but he was exactly the same, always laughing, smiling, joking.
