Gareth Bale says Real Madrid move ‘speculation’

Gareth Bale won Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year. Picture: Getty

Newly-crowned PFA Player of the Year Gareth Bale dismissed talk of a summer transfer to Real Madrid as “speculation”.

Tottenham forward Bale picked up his second Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year Award last night.

The 23-year-old, who has scored 29 goals for club and country this term, also won the Young Player of the Year award, making him the first player since Cristiano Ronaldo to do the double at the prestigious awards night at the Grosvenor Hotel in central London.

“It’s a massive honour,” the Welshman said.

“To be voted by your peers is one of the biggest things in the game.

“It’s great to win it and I am delighted.”

Displays

Ronaldo scooped both the young player and the main award in 2007, some 30 years after Andy Gray become the first professional to do so.

Bale won the senior award two seasons ago when he shot to fame with a series of scintillating displays domestically and in the Champions League.

Now he wants to take Spurs back in to Europe’s biggest club competition, but his manager Andre Villas-Boas claims he may lose the player if they do not qualify for the Champions League.

But Bale insists he is not paying any attention to those who claim he is bound for the Spanish capital.

He said: “I just take no notice, it’s all speculation, I can’t do anything about it.

“I just concentrate on my football and play as well as I can and do my best for the team.”

Controversy

Bale was one of two Spurs players included in the Team of the Year. Premier League top scorer Robin van Persie, who finished third in the running for the Player of the Year award, was one of four Manchester United players included in the best XI.

The night did not pass off with controversy. Luis Suarez’s name was booed on two occasions when it was read out to the crowd, which comprised of footballers and guests.

The choice of Reginald D Hunter as the comedian for the night was also controversial as he used the word ‘n*****’ during his act.

Hunter, a black stand-up comedian from Georgia in the United States, regularly uses the word during his acts, and that was the case during a 30-minute long performance.

The topic of racism in football has become an emotive subject in football over the last two years in particular, with John Terry and Luis Suarez both receiving bans for racial abuse, although former England captain Terry was cleared of racism in a criminal trial.

Difficulty

But when asked whether it was a mistake to allow Hunter to perform PFA chief executive Taylor replied: “No, no, don’t be silly. Are you serious?

“I think there were a few raised eyebrows over the comedian, but that is the sort of thing you can’t control. It was unfortunate.

“He is a professional comedian.

“It’s a difficult subject in football and with him not being fully aware of how emotive it has been in football, that was probably a difficulty for him.”