'Personal response': Gareth Bale names his favorite coach above José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti
Not many players can say they have won the Champions League five times and have played under two of football's most prolific managers, José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti.
one of them is Gareth Balewho despite all his praise and his time as the best coach, has not named Mourinho or Ancelotti as his favorite coaches.
During a quick interview with Rio Ferdinand, shared on X by TNT Sports, Bale was asked who the coach he played with was and why.
Bale responded: “There is probably a personal answer for me, which would be Chris Coleman.
“Because we had a great relationship. We qualified for a major tournament for the first time in 58 years.
“I felt like he was the focal point of the team and yeah, what we accomplished was incredible, so for me it was Chris Coleman.”
This answer may come as a surprise, but many will know how proud of a Welshman Bale really is.
His numerous achievements with teams like Real Madrid never surpassed his love for the Dragons.
Coleman was appointed Wales coach in 2012 and guided them to their best-ever FIFA World Ranking position of eighth in 2015.
That same year, their qualification for the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament was confirmed, the first qualification for a tournament since 1958.
The team placed first in their group in France and eliminated Northern Ireland and Belgium to reach the semi-finals, losing to eventual champions Portugal.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti signed Bale from Tottenham for what was then a world record fee of £86 million in 2013.
During Bale's first two seasons at the club, he scored 39 goals in 92 games in all competitions.
in a interview With Sky Sports in 2021, Bale was asked about Ancelotti returning to Real Madrid for a second spell as coach.
He said: “I know Carlo Ancelotti is a great coach. I get along well with him, we had good times in the past.
“He has returned to Real Madrid and he is a great guy.
“We had a great time together at Real Madrid and I'm sure he will be incredible in charge there.”
Bale and Mourniho crossed paths when the 35-year-old returned to Tottenham Hotspur on loan for a season from Real Madrid, having spent 6 years at the club previously, in 2020.
The directors of Gareth Bale's club
- Steven Cherundolo
- Jose Mourinho
- ryan mason
- Julen Lopetegui
- Santiago Solari
- Rafael Benitez
- Zinedine Zidane
- carlo anceloti
- André Villas-Boas
- Harry Redknapp
- Martin Jol
- Juande Ramos
- George Burley
He came off the bench to score the winning goal in Tottenham's 2-1 home win over Brighton & Hove Albion in November, his first goal since returning to the club.
After the game, Mourinho praised Bale and even shamelessly pointed to Real Madrid.
Mourinho said: “I'm happy for him because he deserved it. When I have five minutes I'll go to Safari to look at Madrid's website to see what they say.”
“He knows that we care about him and we know that he cares about us, the team and the club, the Spurs. He fits in perfectly, he is very calm, very intelligent and has good feelings.”
Bale also scored his 200th career goal during this time at Spurs, during a 3-3 draw against LASK in the Europa League.
In January 2023, Bale announced that he would be retire from professional football.
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Having played under numerous senior managers during his career, it is clear that his love for Wales will always come to light.
