Southampton legend Matthew Le Tissier says he would be surprised if Gareth Bale ever reached Cristiano Ronaldo’s level.
Le Tissier, now a pundit for Sky Sports, has monitored the progress of former Southampton player Bale since he was a youngster at the club, and admits he never imagined the Welshman would turn out to be a Real Madrid star one day.
“I don’t think he’ll ever be as good as Cristiano. He’s a very good player but I think Ronaldo has been at the highest level for quite some time,” maintained Le Tissier in an interview with ElEnganche.es.
“If he does reach that level then it will be a surprise to me because I feel Ronaldo is a better footballer than Bale.
“That said, I never thought he would work so hard and I always believed he would play on the left because of his great pace.
“I knew he’d score goals from free-kicks but to see him working so hard and scoring the goals he does so regularly has been a surprise.
“It’s not what I imagined when I saw him so young,” he confessed.
Nonetheless, the former England international conceded Bale is possibly the best player to have emerged from Southampton’s youth system.
“I realised from the first moment I saw him that he stood out, that he was different. He scored goals and had a lot of athleticism and energy.
"You didn’t need to be a genius to know he was going to be a great footballer,” concluded Le Tissier.
