10 World Class Players Who Refused to Train to Force a Transfer

#5 Gareth Bale: Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid

Gareth Bale wanted to switch from the white of Spurs to that of Real Madrid

Only five players have won the Premier League PFA Player of the Year award twice and the last player to do so was Gareth Bale. The left-back-turned-left-winger-turned-forward was virtually unstoppable in his final season with Tottenham Hotspur when he scored 26 goals (21 in the league).

But with no silverware (other than individual trophies) to show for his hard work, something was clearly going to give. Even former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp knew a big move was inevitable.

"If we sell him, we've had it haven't we? It would only be a Barcelona, a Man City or a Real Madrid who would be able to pay for him. He's an amazing player. He's got everything, there's not a weakness in his make-up." - Harry Redknapp in 2011

When Real Madrid decided to test Spurs' resolve, they came across the notorious Daniel Levy - the man known to drive the hardest bargain in football.

But the deal took time to come to fruition. Real had to offload players to make way for Bale and many clubs were ultimately involved. The negotiations dragged on as the new Premier League season got underway but Bale was nowhere to be seen.

The official word was that he was recovering from an injury, which was why he wasn't involved in pre-season but he still managed to "recover" to play for Wales in the World Cup qualifiers.

Ultimately, it was a world record £86m fee on deadline day that saw Bale move to Madrid.

Gareth Bale eventually moved to Real Madrid for a record transfer fee

It is safe to say the move worked out for him; what with four Champions League titles and 11 trophies in all already.