Tottenham Hotspur full-back Sergio Reguilon has joked that the club built a golf course for loan signing Gareth Bale to make him feel more at home on his return to north London.
Bell is known for his love of golf and played with ‘Wells’. Golf Madrid in this arrangement ‘joke’ that came out last year, much to the chagrin of an increasingly agitated Spanish press.
His return to Spurs on loan for the 2020/21 season saw the 31-year-old given a hero’s welcome by fans who were sad to see him go in 2013 when Real made a world-record £85m transfer. The fee was paid.
The club’s Hotpur Way training ground at Anfield has been located on the green by the first team car park since at least 2018, while there is also a full golf course on adjacent land.
Speaking to AS this week, Reguilon joked: “It amazes me that there are several golf courses at the Tottenham training ground. They told me they had them for him.
The Spanish press did not respond well to Bale/Gabriel Boyes/Getty Images.
Reguelin, who was Bales’ teammate in Real’s first team during the 2018/19 campaign, also suggested the four-time Champions League winner is now more ‘comfortable’ in England.
Although his agent, Jonathan Barnett, has regularly stated that Bale enjoys living in Madrid, the player was often portrayed as an outsider who did not embrace the Spanish way of life. That image was not helped last December when Thibaut Courtois revealed that Bale would skip team meals and instead not start until late at night to sleep.
“The customs make him more comfortable in England,” Reguelin offered.
Sergio Reguilon has joked that Spurs have made Bale a golf course / Stu Forster / Getty Images
It was also often said that because Bell conducted interviews almost exclusively in English, he had limited Spanish language skills. Courtois has previously denied the matter, while Reguelin has backed it up by saying the Spaniard is ‘fine’, if a little broken.
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