Even by the standards of professional footballers, Bale (below, last night) managed to give very little away over the course of 16 quick-fire questions.
He answered “nothing” to queries about what made him unhappy and what he would change about his past, and revealed he “wouldn’t want anyone else” to play him in a biopic.
Asked what he had wanted to be when growing up, Bale, who appeared to be promoting Rowbots gym, said: “I just wanted to fulfil my potential.”
There was almost nothing to be gleaned about Bale the man, his motivations or desires, but one answer, perhaps, did contain a degree of poignance. Asked for his greatest fear, Bale replied: “Not being the best version of myself. In football and in life.”
Bale is one of the finest and most successful British players of his generation, maybe of all time, but there is still a case that he has not been the “best version” of himself on the pitch in recent years.
He has played just two hours of football for Real Madrid in the past six months and last started more than 15 League games in a season in 2018-19.
This story is from the March 30, 2022 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the March 30, 2022 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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