Gareth Bale reveals what it was like to work under Jose Mourinho at Tottenham

Both Gareth Bale and Jose Mourinho were present at the Champions League final on Saturday night, and the former was asked what it was like to be coached by the Special One.

One was a world-class footballer, the other is one of the greatest managers in recent history, and they combined forces when Bale rejoined Tottenham for a loan spell in the 2020/21 campaign.

Bale managed 16 goals and three assists for the Lilywhites in that time (Transfermarkt). During that second spell at Spurs, the Welshman had the chance to work alongside Mourinho, after missing the Portuguese coach by a matter of months when he joined Madrid in 2013.

Mourinho was sacked just before the end of the season at Spurs, while Bale moved on to LA FC shortly after his loan spell came to an end.

What was Mourinho like at Spurs?

The pair were reunited over the weekend thanks to TNT Sports‘ coverage of the Champions League final at Wembley, with Rio Ferdinand asking Bale what his experience of being managed by Mourinho was like.

Before Bale could answer, Mourinho interrupted to say, “That was not football, Covid and empty stadiums, that was not football.”

Bale then answered, “It was difficult. I had to start drinking coffee to get the adrenaline. But no, I loved working with Jose. It’s something I had always wanted to do. It was only a short period of time, at the end of my career, but the relationship we had was very good. I loved it.”

Mourinho then added, “By that time he was already thinking about winning at Augusta,” in reference to Bale’s love of golf.

Spurs Web Opinion

I’m sure I’m not alone in really wishing that Bale’s second spell at the club was under different circumstances. The fact there were no fans was a real shame, and then, of course, the Carabao Cup final defeat that could and should have been very different, too.