In spite of everything he achieved at Real Madrid, Tottenham fans can make a compelling claim to have seen the best of Gareth Bale.
His twin performances against Inter Milan in the 2010-11 Champions League group stage were among the most breathtaking individuals displays ever in the competition, and he can lay claim to one of the Premier League finest-ever seasons in 2012-13.
Bale was simply unplayable and on a different level athletically and technically to every one of his team-mates and opponents.
For Spurs supporters, a lingering frustration is that they were largely locked out of the stadium during Bale's return for the 2020-21 season, when Jose Mourinho was strangely reluctant to play the Welshman.
Clearly, Harry Kane, who is about to become Spurs's all-time record scorer, has a stronger case to be the club's greatest player of the modern era, due to his consistent excellence, but in terms of pure, electrifying brilliance, there is no topping Bale.
