Gareth Bale would not pick any Atletico Madrid player over one of his teammates, the Real Madrid forward said, as the two Spanish sides prepare to square off in Saturday’s Champions League final.
Atletico’s defence conceded just 18 goals last season in the league, fewer per game than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues. But when Bale was asked to create an ideal 11 from both teams, he said he would pick Real Madrid players every time.
Asked by radio station Cadena Cope if he would pick Atletico’s Jan Oblak, who equalled the La Liga record for the fewest goals in a season, or Real’s Keylor Navas, Bale said, "Keylor, 100 percent."
Asked which side had the best midfield and defence, he added: "Real Madrid, everyone Real Madrid."
Although injuries limited him to just 21 league starts, the Welshman produced his best campaign since joining Real in 2013, scoring 19 league goals and spearheading the team in the absence of fellow forwards Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bale said he believed he was in his best form in his three seasons at Real.
"Obviously, with the injuries to Karim and Cristiano, there’s a lot of goals that have gone out of the team, so I tried to take responsibility in the team and tried to help the team," he said.
"I feel more comfortable in the team, I feel more involved and I think that’s shown in my performances.”
