Ajax coach Martin Jol was the man who signed Bale, while he was Spurs manager.
Jol told The Daily Mirror: “I promised his mum that I would play him when I signed him.”
“I think that’s why he chose Spurs over the other clubs that wanted him. People might have doubted that he was ready but I was confident that he had the talent and that he would become one of the best players in Europe in his position.
“I still think that could be the case.”
He added: “It might be that a lot was expected of him at a young age but he had that talent back then and he has still got it.”
“He is at a great club but he has got to be playing football because that is the only thing that will help him to get better. It might be that going abroad might be the best thing for him because it might help him to get his confidence back.
“When he was a young kid he was brilliant at free-kicks and corners.
“It would be a shame if that talent was to go to waste.”
