Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane have ripped it up in recent years, but has there been a better British export than former Tottenham Hotspur man, Gareth Bale?
The scorer of arguably the greatest goal in Champions League final history, the iconic Welshman soared to such heights at Real Madrid, winning a string of domestic and European honours at the Bernabéu.
Not too bad a return for a man who started life at White Hart Lane as a left-back in his teenage years.
Remembering Bale’s early Spurs career at left-back
Having scored and assisted 17 times in just 42 games for Southampton, there was a real buzz around a teenage Bale at the time of his initialy £5m move to north London.
Spurs had fended off rival interest from the likes of Manchester United to win the race for his signature, with the 17-year-old making that switch in the summer of 2007.
It’s fair to say that it wasn’t the best of starts in a Tottenham shirt, however, the then-youngster embarking on an infamous run of 24 Premier League appearances without a win.
There was even talk of a potential exit at one stage, yet, to his credit, Bale overcame that ‘curse’ to explode soon after, transitioning from flying full-back into a complete, powerhouse forward.
|
Bale – Spurs Career by Position |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Games |
Goals (Assists) |
|
LM |
120 |
40 (29) |
|
LB |
42 |
1 (9) |
|
RW |
30 |
16 (3) |
|
LW |
14 |
5 (8) |
|
SS |
8 |
8 (3) |
|
RM |
2 |
1 (0) |
|
CF |
2 |
0 (1) |
|
AM |
2 |
0 (0) |
He’d always looked more at home in the final third than in a defensive sense, although that’s not to say he was a disaster at left-back, scoring and assisting ten goals in just 42 games in that role.
It’s the kind of record that still stands up well with Roberto De Zerbi’s current crop.
Assessing Spurs’ current left-back situation
Having been blessed with the likes of Danny Rose for so long under Mauricio Pochettino, the left-back department has been something of an issue in more recent times at N17.
Looking to the present day, the Lilywhites notably sold England star, Djed Spence, over the summer, the rampaging right-footer having regularly lined up in that role prior to departing for Inter.
That has left Destiny Udogie to battle it out with Andy Robertson for a starting berth in 2026/27, the Italian having been one of many to be hampered by injury in previous campaigns.
He’s still only 23, yet a return of just two goals and five assists in 99 games doesn’t make for stellar reading, not least in comparison to Bale’s record in that role.
As for Robertson, meanwhile, the experienced Scot notably endured a moment to forget against Aston Villa last time out, gifting possession to the visitors just before the break, resulting in Johan Manzambi’s opener.
It’s early days, yet at 32, Spurs would have been hoping for an instant impact from the ex-Liverpool hero. Perhaps De Zerbi will have to find a long-term left-back solution elsewhere.
Why Spurs left-back could soon explode like Bale
It was a summer of change at N17, with so many incomings and outgoings, as De Zerbi sought to put his stamp on the first-team squad.
The backline was certainly one area to undergo something of an overhaul, the likes of Spence, Cristian Romero, Kevin Danso, Luka Vuskovic, Radu Dragusin and Ashley Phillips all departing.
In terms of loan exits too, the recent window also saw 20-year-old left-back, Souza, joining Porto for the season, the Brazilian having made just four first-team appearances back in north London.
The former Santos starlet had only arrived in January, having previously scored and assisted five goals in just 38 senior games for his previous employers.
That record is more like what Spurs would want from their attack-minded full-backs, with there no doubt set to be intrigue over how the youngster gets on out in Portugal.
Well, while he hasn’t yet made a competitive appearance for Francesco Farioli, Souza did sparkle in a recent friendly against Deportivo La Coruna, registering an assist in that 80-minute outing.
As relayed by Sport Witness, that stunning performance had ‘fans drooling’ over the flying full-back, the on-loan Spurs man garnering significant praise from those back in Portugal.
He appears to be making the most of this extended international break, that’s for sure, with a proper chance in Porto’s starting lineup hopefully set to emerge before too long.
As he showed back in Brazil, Souza is a really attack-minded, front-foot defender, with his attributes even seeing him utilised as both a left-winger and right-winger in the Premier League last season.
That perhaps suggests that he could follow in Bale’s footsteps later down the line, should he outgrow a left-back berth, with there no denying that he is at his best when motoring forward.
“He is better in the attacking phase. He has vision, understands attacking dynamics very well, passes well and is quick,” said his former coach, Orlando Ribeiro.
That was a viewpoint echoed by De Zerbi himself earlier this year, having tipped Souza to be a ‘game-changer’ from the bench, again mirroring a young Bale in that sense.
While he has since been sent out on loan, at just £13m, the South American – like Bale before him – marked an investment for the long term, with it encouraging to see him earning rave reviews in his new surroundings.
Be it as a permanent left-back or not, Souza looks ready to explode this season, and that can only be good news for Spurs.
