- Bale spent six years at Spurs before moving to Real Madrid for £85 million in 2013
- The Welshman scored 26 – largely exceptional – goals in his final season
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A Premier League legend has revealed he once tried Gareth Bale’s unusual diet in an attempt to reach his Tottenham Hotspur team-mate’s performance levels, but realized the Welshman’s methods ‘didn’t quite work’ for him.
The prolific forward has scored 199 goals in a stellar career and has acted as an imposing figurehead for a number of successful Premier League attacks over the years.
The Englishman was a popular character on and off the pitch, thrilling fans with his famous celebrations and entertaining post-match interviews.
The star joined Spurs from Portsmouth in 2009 and played for Bale at White Hart Lane for two years before moving to Stoke City for £10 million.
Impressed by the Welshman’s performances on and off the training ground, the lofty centre-forward decided to copy his pre-match eating habits, to limited effect, and has now detailed the experience on his podcast.
Peter Crouch has revealed he once tried Gareth Bale’s unusual diet in a bid to reach his Tottenham Hotspur teammate’s performance levels
Crouch joined Spurs from Portsmouth in 2009 and played for Bale at White Hart Lane for two years
A series of exceptional performances earned the Welshman a move to Real Madrid in 2013
He told it That Peter Crouch podcast: ‘You know, what changed for me was watching Gareth Bale.
‘I’ve spoken about this before, it was ridiculous to see Gareth making the most intense runs and covering the furthest distance.
‘He was one of the fittest players I have ever seen.
“He just literally had baked beans on toast every time. And I thought, “What’s in those beans?”
So I started doing it. I started by making baked beans on toast.
‘I thought it must be the difference. It didn’t quite work for me!
“But you know when you see other people doing different things and certainly later in your career you definitely see that the chefs and things on the training ground have changed.”
Crouch also told co-host Steve Sidwell that his signature pre-match dish consisted of chicken, pasta and boiled potatoes.
Crouch made a £10m move to Stoke City in 2011 before retiring from Burnley
Crouch also told co-host Steve Sidwell that his signature pre-match dish consisted of chicken, pasta and boiled potatoes.
But his habits weren’t completely normal either. The striker sometimes ate this voluminous snack at 9 a.m. when his team was playing for the early kick-off.
Bale followed Crouch when he left White Hart Lane in 2013, but a 2012/13 season in which he scored 26 – largely exceptional – goals earned him a much higher transfer fee of £85m.
He went on to score 106 and assist a further 67 in 258 games at the Bernabeu before returning to Spurs for one season in 2020 and eventually retiring from Los Angeles FC in 2023 at the age of 33.