Former Real Madrid striker Michael Owen has claimed that Gareth Bale is a “world-class” player who thrives on confidence.
The ex-England international left Liverpool for the Santiago Bernabeu after Euro 2004 and went on to score 18 goals in just 15 starts for Los Blancos, before returning to the Premier League via Newcastle the following summer.
“Real Madrid have a great team right now. Maybe they need a little more to be better than Barcelona at the moment, but they have a fantastic squad,” he said after the Corazon Classic Match on Sunday.
“I spent very little time with Rafa [Benitez] at Liverpool, but I can say that is a very good Coach.
“I thought that Bale had a decent start to his career at Real Madrid. He’s quiet and shy by nature, but I think that the more fit and confident he is, he’ll improve even more. He’s a world class player.
“I really enjoyed my season at Real Madrid. The fans made me feel very welcome and that made me very excited to return to the [Santiago] Bernabeu [on Sunday].”
