Gareth Bale must put heart and soul into Real move - Gary Lineker

Gary Lineker believes Gareth Bale must put his "heart and soul" into his move to Real Madrid to thrive at the Bernabeu.

Bale, 24, has completed an £85.3m move from Tottenham to Real Madrid.

MOTD presenter and former Spurs striker Lineker had a stint at Barcelona during his playing career.

"It's very important to throw your heart and soul into it. It's different, it's huge, and it's whether he can cope with that," Lineker told BBC Sport.

"He's got it all. He showed that last season and the only question now is whether he's got the mental strength to be able to cope with such a big move and the spotlight that will be immense over there in Spain.


Tottenham's defeat at Arsenal was a timely reminder of what they will miss now Gareth Bale has finally completed his protracted move to Real Madrid.

They will miss those match-winning moments and brushstrokes of genius that decorated his recent seasons at White Hart Lane.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, however, was understandably confident in his statements following the completion of the deal that takes Bale to the Bernabeu.

Manager Andre Villas-Boas, with Levy and director of football Franco Baldini pulling the levers, has refurbished his squad with a succession of fine signings such as Roberto Soldado, Erik Lamela and Paulinho.

The big question is can they replace Bale? And only time will provide the answer after the loss of this magnificent player.

"Ability-wise he is phenomenal. A player costing that much money, it's hard to justify that sort of fee. It's an incredible amount of money and no player is worth that, beyond perhaps [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo.

"If they came on the market now they would be worth more than Bale but along with Neymar they're the two players that are coming up as world superstars."

Lineker, who played for Barca between 1986-1989, feels that learning the language and immersing himself in the culture will be key to Bale's chances of succeeding in La Liga.

The former England captain thinks that the experiences of previous foreign moves for British players makes speaking Spanish a necessity for the Wales winger.

Lineker added: "It's important, more than anything, learn the language. If you're happy and communicate off the pitch that will reflect in your football and how things go on the pitch.

"If you look back at all of the British players that have been successful abroad, it's the ones that have got themselves into the culture, learnt the language and made life there enjoyable, rather than harbouring thoughts about England and getting back home.

"It's a fabulous opportunity for him and the important thing is he really needs to grasp it with both hands."