Bale reveals he twice rejected Manchester United to chase football over money

Gareth Bale twice chose a different path over Manchester United, the Welsh forward has revealed — rejecting the club first as a teenager in 2007 and again six years later when United bid more than Real Madrid to sign him from Tottenham Hotspur.

Bale’s initial decision came after his breakthrough season at Southampton. United, then Premier League champions and a year away from winning the Champions League, made their move for the 17-year-old attacking left-back. Bale turned them down in favour of Spurs, citing the need for regular first-team football over the lure of silverware and a larger wage.

“I rejected Manchester United and went to Tottenham,” Bale recalled in 2023. “At the time, United were the biggest team in the Premier League, winning trophies, with the best players and the best coach. The easy decision would have been to go to United. But it was important for my development to keep playing football — that’s why I chose Tottenham.”

The move did not begin smoothly. Bale went winless in his first 24 appearances for Spurs before an injury-enforced switch to the left wing transformed his game. By the 2012/13 season he had scored 26 goals, attracting Europe’s biggest clubs and setting the stage for a second United rejection.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Bale confirmed United bid more than Madrid for his signature that summer. “United and Madrid were the two teams,” he said. “I did talk to United, yeah. They actually bid more than Madrid. I spoke with David Moyes. My heart was set on Madrid.”

Bale also revealed that a prior understanding with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy had shaped the outcome. “I had something in place with Daniel Levy, maybe more of a gentleman’s agreement, because he didn’t want to sell me to a rival. So if a team did come in from Spain, Italy or wherever, I could potentially go.”

He completed a then-world record move to Real Madrid, going on to spend nine years at the club and winning five Champions League titles and three La Liga crowns.

Bale’s story has been drawn back into focus by Tottenham’s £85 million signing of Mateus Fernandes, a recent Manchester United transfer target who similarly opted for Spurs over Old Trafford.