Bale pleased to complete ´stressful´ Real Madrid move

Gareth Bale has described his protracted move from Tottenham to Real Madrid as a “very stressful” process.

The Welshman finally completed his switch for a reported world-record fee of €100million just 24 hours before the transfer deadline, despite having been strongly linked with the Spanish club for the entirety of the window.

But, though Bale has admitted the lengthy negotiations were frustrating, he insists his faith in Real’s ability to get the deal over the line never wavered.

“It was a long time and very stressful to say the least,” he told BT Sport.

“I knew their interest from the start and I was always confident the move would go through but obviously the chairman Daniel Levy had to do his business and do Tottenham well.

“I understood that but at the same time, thinking of myself, it was a hard time. It was stressful and I just had to be patient and try and focus. I believed the president and Jose (Sanchez Bernal) would get the deal through and finally they did.”

The 24-year-old also claimed he has held a long-standing affinity with the Santiago Bernabeu club since his youth.

“When I was younger I had some close friends who always loved European football,” he added. “Real Madrid at that time were the dominant force and we always watched them.

“I remember family holidays we used to go to Spain and we’d bring back replica shirts of Real Madrid and always pretend to be the players when we were playing in the park.

“It started from there and I’ve followed them since. Obviously the football they play, the team they had, was amazing and it’s great to be there.”

Bale scored 21 goals in 33 Premier League appearances last season as Tottenham narrowly missed out on qualification for the UEFA Champions League.

The reported cost of his move to the Spanish capital exceeds the previous world record, which was also set by Real when they purchased Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in 2009.