Bale Reveals Quartet's Advice Helped Swing Departure From Tottenham

Gareth Bale says advice from David Beckham among others helped swing the decision which saw him swap Tottenham Hotspur for Real Madrid.

The Welshman scored his fourth La Liga goal since moving to Real in victory over Almeria and he continues to adapt well to life in Spain since his record-move from White Hart Lane.

Bale had been accused of being out of his depth during his early performances for Los Blancos, but of late the Welshman's form has been impressive.

He became the fifth British played to move to Real in recent years after Beckham, Steve McManaman, Michael Owen and Jonathan Woodgate all had spells of varied success in the Spanish capital and Bale says he took advice from each of them before leaving Tottenham.

"All of them," revealed Bale after being asked who he contacted. "David Beckham texted to wish me good luck and stuff. It was very nice and I appreciated it.

"He trained at Tottenham with me for a while, so I know him quite well anyway and it's nice of him just to give a text and a call.

"I know Jonathan Woodgate from my time at Tottenham, so I speak to him now and again. I met Steve McManaman when I did an interview and we spoke for a bit.

"They have been in this situation as well. They give good words of advice, I take it on board and it's helping me a lot out here."

Madrid-based press played down the significance of Bale's fee, reportedly in excess of what Real paid Manchester United in 2009 when they signed Cristiano Ronaldo, in order to prevent from unsettling the Portuguese winger.

Bale is also keen to ignore the size of the fee but insists Ronaldo is assisting his continued development.

"The amount that was paid is not ­something I think about. I just want to concentrate on the football," he said.

"The transfer fee or the money paid is nothing to do with me. I just want to be the best player I can be. There is no rivalry with Cristiano, nothing has been said about the fee at all. We get on very well and since day one he's been amazing to me. He's helped me a lot on and off the pitch.

"Cristiano has just given me encouragement in every game, given me confidence and he's helped me along with his ­experiences when he first came. He's been brilliant."