Eto'o asked 'Who is that?' - Bassong recalls moment Bale caught Cameroon legend's attention
- Bassong and Bale were teammates at Spurs
- Eto'o marveled at Bale's exploits when he played against him
- Bale recently announced his retirement
WHAT HAPPENED: The ex-Spurs centre-back recalled when Bale literally ran the show in the 2010 Champions League match against Inter Milan at San Siro that ended 4-3 in favour of the hosts.
Bale scored a hat-trick in that match, and his exploits caught the attention of Eto'o who was playing for Internazionale and scored a brace on the day.
The hosts scored the remaining two goals courtesy of Javier Zanetti and Dejan Stankovic. Bassong stated Eto'o approached him to inquire who Bale was.
WHAT THEY SAID: "I remember Samuel Eto'o asking me on the pitch, 'Who's that? 'You'll soon find out!' And it was just crazy to see how easy it was for him [Bale] to just do whatever he wanted to do," Bassong told BBC.
"Gareth was the kind of player who could get us out of trouble. He just took the game on, on his own. He's been really brave.
"Most people would have told him to carry on until the end. But he's in control of his own career. He's in control of his own mind and I reckon that Gareth was just worn out.
"Everything comes to an end and I think he's done everything you have to do within football.
"I'd rather him finish on a World Cup and on a high. So I'm really proud of what he did."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Bassong played alongside Bale at Tottenham from 2009 to 2012 before leaving for an initial loan deal to Wolves before eventually exiting the North London club.
His former teammate Bale, recently, opted to retire from the club and international football at the age of 33. He won five Champions League titles with Real Madrid and was part of the Wales squad that played in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
IN THREE PICTURES:
WHAT NEXT: It is not clear whether Bale will now venture into a managerial role after announcing his retirement from football.