Real Madrid Transfer News: Gareth Bale Liverpool Snub Revealed, Latest Rumours

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has revealed former Reds manager Rafa Benitez turned down the opportunity to sign Real Madrid star Gareth Bale when he was starting to emerge as a star Premier League performer, as the Spaniard thought he wasn't any better than John Arne Riise.

Carragher made the revelation while writing for the Daily Mail:

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He [Bale] has come so far since making his way at Southampton. When he broke into their team, Rafa Benitez looked at signing him for Liverpool. Bale was playing as a left back then and Rafa didn't think he was any better than John Arne Riise, so he never pursued it.

Clearly the Bale that Benitez now manages is a completely different prospect. Bale has been a success in Madrid, his stunning solo goal against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final and the header that gave Real the lead against Atletico Madrid as they pursued their 10th European Cup were both moments that only the special ones produce.

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At the time, a young Bale was still a raw athlete plying his trade at the left-back position. It was only after he moved to Tottenham Hotspur that he developed into the star winger who is widely seen as one of the best attackers on the planet today.

The irony of the story is of course that the Wales international now plays under Benitez, who took over as Real Madrid manager during the summer. He immediately moved Bale into a more central role and, per the Daily Mirror's Simon Mullock, plans to build the Real squad around his talents.

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This despite Benitez once telling reporters he thought Marek Hamsik was a better player than the Welshman, a comment he owned up to during recent TV interviews with COPE and Ser (h/t Football Italia).

While Bale was finding his feet with Southampton between 2006 and 2007, Riise was Liverpool's unquestioned starter at the left-back position, as well as a fan favourite and something of a cult hero. It wasn't until Bale moved to Spurs before Riise lost his spot to Fabio Aurelio, leading to his eventual transfer to AS Roma.

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Benitez didn't believe in Bale's raw athletic potential back then, and one has to wonder whether the youngster would have developed at Liverpool the way he did when he moved to Spurs. In north London, Bale initially didn't find much success due to the strong form of Benoit Assou-Ekotto, which ultimately played a big part in his transition to a more attacking role.

Perhaps Benitez would have recognised his awesome potential once he got to see what the young man could do in training every day, but it's just as likely that Bale would have hardly played as a youngster, stuck behind Riise, or that he would have replaced the Norwegian once he left for Italy―meaning Bale never moved to the attack.

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Then again, it's hard not to marvel at the incredible attack the Reds could have had in 2012, when Bale led the Spurs attack almost on his own, winning the PFA Player of the Year award at the end of the 2012-13 campaign, and Luis Suarez was starting to find the scoring form that would see him win the award one year later.

With those two and Daniel Sturridge leading the attack, and young talent like Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho developing behind them, the Reds would have been a formidable opponent for any team they faced.

Alas, it never happened, and with Bale now plying his trade for La Liga giants Real, it's unlikely it ever will. Carragher thinks the Welshman has the potential to become one of Britain's greatest-ever footballers with Los Blancos and sees no reason why he would ever leave, as he's now finally winning major silverware for the first time in his career.

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