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Former Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has picked his most iconic UEFA Champions League player and it is not Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. The Wales legend jokingly picked himself as his most iconic player, and with five winner's medals to his name it is hard to argue with his choice.
He picked himself over former teammates, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric. The former Tottenham Hotspur star was however a good sport, laughing as he apologised to his former Los Blancos teammates, saying:
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“Sorry Karim, sorry Cristiano, sorry Modric (laughs).”
While most would pick Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi as their most iconic player, the Welshman showed incredible self-belief in picking himself. He was, however, one of the finest players of his generation and should rightfully back himself even against such titans of the game.
Bale won all five of his Champions League medals alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid. La Pulga on the other hand won just four titles, making him less decorated than the Los Blancos duo.
Bale made 66 appearances in the Champions League with Real Madrid and Tottenham, scoring 20 goals and providing 17 assists. He scored an iconic brace in Los Blancos' 3-1 win over Liverpool in the 2017-18 final.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi remain unassailable at the top of Champions League goal scoring charts
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi remain top of the Champions League overall goals scoring charts. The iconic rivals have not played in the competition in nearly two years, but have set a benchmark that will be hard to match.
The duo lined up for Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively and gifted fans of the beautiful game over a decade of prime footballing displays. The pair have nine Champions League medals between them.
Ronaldo scored 140 goals in 183 appearances in the competition between 2003 and 2022, averaging 0.77 goals a game. La Pulga on the other hand bagged 129 goals from 163 appearances, averaging 0.79 goals a game between 2005 and 2023. The quality of the pair can be seen in how closely their average goals per game are to each other.
The closest active player to the pair is Robert Lewandowski with 94 strikes in 120 appearances to his name. He looks unlikely to catch the pair before he retires. Erling Haaland is the player most likely to meet up with the duo, with 41 goals from 39 appearances. The Norwegian will hope his terrifying scoring rate continues and with the goal of surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The 2024 Champions League final will kick off in Wembley on Saturday (June 1) with neither of the iconic duo in the game. Fans will be left speculating on what a final showdown between the pair would have brought.
