Bale can emulate Ronaldo, says forward-thinking Villas-Boas
Tottenham Hotspur Head Coach Andre Villas-Boas believes Gareth Bale can follow the example set by Cristiano Ronaldo and become a forward rather than a winger, according to ESPN.
Ronaldo, 28, is five years older than Bale and started his career playing as a winger, but developed to become more of a forward in his time at Manchester United, and has continued in that vein since joining Real Madrid in 2009.
Bale, meanwhile, was originally a full-back but his attacking surges down the flank caused him to be used more in midfield, a positional change that made him more attack minded, to the point that this season Bale has scored 11 goals in 22 league games and netted for Wales against Austria in midweek.
Villas-Boas believes there are enough similarities between Ronaldo and Bale that the latter should emulate the former and play more as a forward than a winger. He said: “Both of them are extremely technical players and extremely powerful and pacy.
“ Obviously Ronaldo is now 28, has gone and achieved so much in his career. He is an example to what Gareth wants to achieve in his career too. Yes, you can see some similarities in between the positions.”
Villas-Boas has experimented with using Bale as a forward, trying it in pre-season, and after Jermain Defoe was ruled out of action for the next three weeks, the Portuguese admitted he is looking to Bale to help fill the void left by the England striker.
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