Gareth Bale watched on with pride as in 17 years, defeating .

However, the Welshman's career trajectory could have swung differently had he not opted for White Hart Lane over a move to .

Back when he was a young left-back at Southampton, dazzled in the Championship, racking up five goals and providing 12 assists over 45 games. While the then-new chairman at Spurs, Daniel Levy, set his sights on , and were also in hot pursuit.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

In a bold move, Bale chose to snub , a decision that proved foundational to his triumphant career. Speaking on his Airwayz channel in 2023, Bale said: "I rejected Manchester United and went to Tottenham. At that time, United were the biggest team in the league, they were winning trophies, they had the biggest players, the best manager.

"The easiest decision would be to go to Man United and the biggest club. You always want to be at the biggest clubs but I took the approach that I wanted to be playing first-team football."

After joining Spurs, Bale evolved from left-back into an influential attacker, scoring 42 times in 142 appearances and capturing the imagination of Premier League fans with his standout performances.

These six seasons with Spurs took Bale to the heights of Real Madrid in 2013, after he signed with the Spanish giants for a then-record-breaking fee of £85million. Bale starred alongside superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, and won plenty of trophies along the way.

His spell at Madrid was full of silverware, including five Champions League crowns and three La Liga titles, with 106 goals across 258 appearances. After a brief return to Tottenham on loan, Bale wrapped up his playing days at Los Angeles FC, retiring in 2023 as a legend of Welsh and world football.

Despite the success he could have found under Sir Alex Ferguson's United, who clinched Premier League glory across many seasons, Bale has no regrets about choosing consistent play over the allure of instant fame and fortune with the Red Devils.

He added: "At that age, a lot of players would go for the money and would want to go to a bigger club.

"But I was playing, developing and learning. It was an important part of my development to keep playing first-team football because you can't replicate that."

In a twist of fate, it appears Bale has got the final chuckle after United's recent setback in Europe, making a subtle dig at the club he once turned down.

During TNT Sport's coverage of Tottenham's 1-0 triumph in the Europa League final, Bale was asked if the victory would finally shake off the 'Spursy' label often associated with the club's history of near misses.

Bale didn't hesitate to flip the script on United's recent struggles, as he said: "It could be a United-y thing now, I am telling you. But it gets rid of that stigma now for sure, and hopefully we can build on it."