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Gareth Bale earning his Spurs at Tottenham
Bale was brought to Tottenham by Comolli as a 17-year-old in 2007
By David Ornstein
Sat in front of his television on Wednesday night, Damien Comolli could have been forgiven for having a wry smile.
Two years after his sacking as Tottenham's director of football, the Frenchman tuned in to watch many of the players he was pilloried for signing turning out against European champions Inter Milan at the San Siro.
Heurelho Gomes, Alan Hutton, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Aaron Lennon, Jermaine Jenas, Tom Huddlestone, Gareth Bale and Luke Modric all started, while Younes Kaboul, David Bentley and Roman Pavlyuchenko were on the bench.
There was little to be proud of initially as Spurs saw Gomes sent off and fell 4-0 down within 36 minutes - but Bale changed all that, a stunning hat-trick hauling his side to the point of an extraordinary comeback as Inter clung on for a 4-3 win.
When I watched him for the first time I was gob-smacked. I remember coming back from scouting him and thinking 'I've seen the new Paolo Maldini'
Damien Comolli
"What we saw against Inter was very similar to what I saw when Gareth was playing for Southampton as a 17-year-old," Comolli, who signed Bale for £5m in 2007, told BBC Sport. "When I watched him for the first time I was gobsmacked.
"He was already showing the strength, the technical ability, the confidence to take people on, the pace, the quality left foot, the work-rate. He had it all.
"I remember coming back from scouting him and thinking 'I've seen the new Paolo Maldini'. I watched him a couple more times but the game that did it for me was Southampton's 2-0 victory over QPR at Loftus Road in 2007.
SELECTED COMOLLI SIGNINGS
Tom Huddlestone
Aaron Lennon
Jermaine Jenas
Benoit Assou-Ekotto
Dimitar Berbatov
Didier Zakora
Gareth Bale
Jonathan Woodgate
Luka Modric
Heurelho Gomes
Grzegorz Rasiak
Mido
Ricardo Rocha
Darren Bent
Giovani dos Santos
Roman Pavlyuchenko
Vedran Corluka
"He was the best player on the pitch by a mile. I knew he was going to be world class, I knew we had to get him. I went back to Spurs and told [chairman] Daniel Levy we had to buy him."
Bale initially struggled for form and fitness after arriving at White Hart Lane - current Spurs boss Harry Redknapp claimed he was too preoccupied with his hairstyle - and fans were quick to point an accusatory finger at Comolli.
The young Welshman did not enjoy a league win until 26 September 2009 - a period spanning 25 games, 1533 minutes, 28 months and three managers.
"A year ago Gareth was second-choice left-back behind Assou-Ekotto and now people are saying he's a world-class player. What he's done in the last year is amazing," said Comolli, now sporting director at French Ligue One highfliers St Etienne.
"It is difficult to call a player is world class when he is only 21. He has the potential to be world class but we haven't seen the best of Gareth yet. He will really start to mature when he's 23-24, which is a scary prospect."
Click to play
Click to play
Bale reaching new heights - Flynn
Born and raised in Cardiff by parents Frank and Debbie, Bale attended junior and secondary school in Whitchurch where his exceptional footballing talent was apparent from an early age, one PE teacher only allowing him to use his weaker right foot to make games more even.
Bale's progress was such that after being taken on as a scholar, Saints fast-tracked him into the first-team setup and he made his club debut at 16 years and 275 days before becoming Wales' youngest ever full international 40 days later.
By now, Comolli needed no convincing and he moved quickly to close the deal.
"He was getting a lot of phone calls from Ryan Giggs urging him to join Manchester United," recalled Comolli. "But we were the first club to show a really strong interest and he saw our motivation in trying to get him. That proved decisive.
DEBATE
When you ask the question "Who is the Greatest?" in 10 years time, there will only be one answer: Gareth Bale
PeterboroughOsprey
"The policy we had at Spurs then was to try and get young British players into the team - we had Huddlestone, Michael Dawson, Lennon, Jermain Defoe and Jenas.
"He believed in what we told him and knew if he came he would have a very good chance to play at a great club with an atmosphere that would suit a 17-year-old."
Bale burst on to the scene as a teenager with Southampton
Comolli suggests Bale's "remarkable mental strength" enabled him to get through a hugely testing first couple of years before establishing himself as Tottenham's first-choice left-midfielder.
From January 2009 to January 2010 Bale started only one of 36 league games whereas at the time of writing he has started their last 26 while his record of nine goals in his last 19 games eclipses the one he scored from his first 66 appearances.
In short, he has become a key part of Redknapp's plans and was rewarded with a new four-year contract in May, though he may yet be offered improved terms at the end of this season to fend off interest from Inter, Real Madrid and Manchester United.
"Spurs are desperate to hold on to Gareth but I know last summer there were big, big clubs sniffing around," suggested Comolli, who thinks Bale can still work on aspects such as his right foot, his defending and his ability to dominate a game.
"If they are ambitious and want to do well in the future they have to keep hold of him and Champions League football should help them do that.
And Comolli believes that the emergence of players like Bale means his time with Spurs can be measured as a success.
"I still find Tottenham's decision to sack me unfair and difficult to accept because when I signed players like Gareth I was 100% convinced they would turn out to be a success and now we're seeing that," he reasons.
"When you sign young players you can't expect them to deliver immediately, good management is about not panicking - but that's football, you just have to move on and quite often other people benefit from your work.
"So many people from the world of football - coaches, agents, press, fans etc - sent text messages after the Inter match congratulating and thanking me on bringing through Bale. But I'm not happy for myself, I'm happy for him."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/9115894.stm?
Bale was brought to Tottenham by Comolli as a 17-year-old in 2007
By David Ornstein
Sat in front of his television on Wednesday night, Damien Comolli could have been forgiven for having a wry smile.
Two years after his sacking as Tottenham's director of football, the Frenchman tuned in to watch many of the players he was pilloried for signing turning out against European champions Inter Milan at the San Siro.
Heurelho Gomes, Alan Hutton, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Aaron Lennon, Jermaine Jenas, Tom Huddlestone, Gareth Bale and Luke Modric all started, while Younes Kaboul, David Bentley and Roman Pavlyuchenko were on the bench.
There was little to be proud of initially as Spurs saw Gomes sent off and fell 4-0 down within 36 minutes - but Bale changed all that, a stunning hat-trick hauling his side to the point of an extraordinary comeback as Inter clung on for a 4-3 win.
When I watched him for the first time I was gob-smacked. I remember coming back from scouting him and thinking 'I've seen the new Paolo Maldini'
Damien Comolli
"What we saw against Inter was very similar to what I saw when Gareth was playing for Southampton as a 17-year-old," Comolli, who signed Bale for £5m in 2007, told BBC Sport. "When I watched him for the first time I was gobsmacked.
"He was already showing the strength, the technical ability, the confidence to take people on, the pace, the quality left foot, the work-rate. He had it all.
"I remember coming back from scouting him and thinking 'I've seen the new Paolo Maldini'. I watched him a couple more times but the game that did it for me was Southampton's 2-0 victory over QPR at Loftus Road in 2007.
SELECTED COMOLLI SIGNINGS
Tom Huddlestone
Aaron Lennon
Jermaine Jenas
Benoit Assou-Ekotto
Dimitar Berbatov
Didier Zakora
Gareth Bale
Jonathan Woodgate
Luka Modric
Heurelho Gomes
Grzegorz Rasiak
Mido
Ricardo Rocha
Darren Bent
Giovani dos Santos
Roman Pavlyuchenko
Vedran Corluka
"He was the best player on the pitch by a mile. I knew he was going to be world class, I knew we had to get him. I went back to Spurs and told [chairman] Daniel Levy we had to buy him."
Bale initially struggled for form and fitness after arriving at White Hart Lane - current Spurs boss Harry Redknapp claimed he was too preoccupied with his hairstyle - and fans were quick to point an accusatory finger at Comolli.
The young Welshman did not enjoy a league win until 26 September 2009 - a period spanning 25 games, 1533 minutes, 28 months and three managers.
"A year ago Gareth was second-choice left-back behind Assou-Ekotto and now people are saying he's a world-class player. What he's done in the last year is amazing," said Comolli, now sporting director at French Ligue One highfliers St Etienne.
"It is difficult to call a player is world class when he is only 21. He has the potential to be world class but we haven't seen the best of Gareth yet. He will really start to mature when he's 23-24, which is a scary prospect."
Click to play
Click to play
Bale reaching new heights - Flynn
Born and raised in Cardiff by parents Frank and Debbie, Bale attended junior and secondary school in Whitchurch where his exceptional footballing talent was apparent from an early age, one PE teacher only allowing him to use his weaker right foot to make games more even.
Bale's progress was such that after being taken on as a scholar, Saints fast-tracked him into the first-team setup and he made his club debut at 16 years and 275 days before becoming Wales' youngest ever full international 40 days later.
By now, Comolli needed no convincing and he moved quickly to close the deal.
"He was getting a lot of phone calls from Ryan Giggs urging him to join Manchester United," recalled Comolli. "But we were the first club to show a really strong interest and he saw our motivation in trying to get him. That proved decisive.
DEBATE
When you ask the question "Who is the Greatest?" in 10 years time, there will only be one answer: Gareth Bale
PeterboroughOsprey
"The policy we had at Spurs then was to try and get young British players into the team - we had Huddlestone, Michael Dawson, Lennon, Jermain Defoe and Jenas.
"He believed in what we told him and knew if he came he would have a very good chance to play at a great club with an atmosphere that would suit a 17-year-old."
Bale burst on to the scene as a teenager with Southampton
Comolli suggests Bale's "remarkable mental strength" enabled him to get through a hugely testing first couple of years before establishing himself as Tottenham's first-choice left-midfielder.
From January 2009 to January 2010 Bale started only one of 36 league games whereas at the time of writing he has started their last 26 while his record of nine goals in his last 19 games eclipses the one he scored from his first 66 appearances.
In short, he has become a key part of Redknapp's plans and was rewarded with a new four-year contract in May, though he may yet be offered improved terms at the end of this season to fend off interest from Inter, Real Madrid and Manchester United.
"Spurs are desperate to hold on to Gareth but I know last summer there were big, big clubs sniffing around," suggested Comolli, who thinks Bale can still work on aspects such as his right foot, his defending and his ability to dominate a game.
"If they are ambitious and want to do well in the future they have to keep hold of him and Champions League football should help them do that.
And Comolli believes that the emergence of players like Bale means his time with Spurs can be measured as a success.
"I still find Tottenham's decision to sack me unfair and difficult to accept because when I signed players like Gareth I was 100% convinced they would turn out to be a success and now we're seeing that," he reasons.
"When you sign young players you can't expect them to deliver immediately, good management is about not panicking - but that's football, you just have to move on and quite often other people benefit from your work.
"So many people from the world of football - coaches, agents, press, fans etc - sent text messages after the Inter match congratulating and thanking me on bringing through Bale. But I'm not happy for myself, I'm happy for him."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/9115894.stm?
