Gareth Bale might be the greatest British footballer of all time, but one former Tottenham player is in no doubt about who his best teammate was.
Bale was at Spurs from 2007 to 2013 and became unplayable in his final two seasons in the Premier League before Real Madrid broke the world record transfer fee to sign him for £85million.
There, he won 15 trophies, including five Champions League crowns, playing an integral part in each victory.
Yet it was a teammate at both Spurs and Real that one former colleague rates above anyone he played with.
Recalling his time alongside Bale at White Hart Lane, Sebastien Bassong told talkSPORT: “When we played [Inter] Milan I was playing alongside him and Samuel Eto’o came to me and said, ‘Who’s that guy?’
“I said, ‘You’re about to find out, he’s gonna retire Maicon’, and he put him in a grave.
“He could have played by himself on the left, left-back and left wing. He was an introvert, he didn’t talk much.”
“But…” Bassong continued. “I’ll still go for Luka [Modric].”
Rating the Croatian legend as his greatest-ever teammate, Bassong explained why the six-time Champions League winner was like no other.
“Luka, we called him Mozart, he’s the best one because he won the Ballon d’Or, at Spurs I’d go for Luka – no doubt,” he began, before explaining the 39-year-old’s leadership qualities.
“Luka isn’t a talker, he’s an introvert by nature, but when Luka spoke everyone listened.
“Luka doesn’t get angry, but if he does there’s a reason because he’s so good and efficient. That’s the kind of person you want to follow, when he says something, give the ball to Luka and he’s going to dictate the game.
“One day I had the ball and he came square to me and I didn’t give him the ball because there were two players on his back. He came to me and said, ‘Bass, give me the ball’. I said, ‘Yeah but…’ He said, ‘Just give me the ball!’
“The next time I gave him the ball and he did something amazing, dropped his shoulder and went past two players, out to the right then a Crouchy [Peter Crouch] goal.
“He came back to me and said, ‘What did I tell you, give me the ball!’ I said, ‘Listen boss, from now on I’ll give you the ball!’
“He was a leader, he was the boss, he was a captain and someone you want to follow.”
Modric headed to the Spanish capital a year before Bale in 2012, and created a legacy of one of the game’s greatest ever players.
A World Cup finalist who’s still going strong at 39, Modric received a special tribute after a stunning long-range goal against Girona on February 23.
Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was asked if Modric will receive a new contract and become the first player to appear for Los Blancos at the age of 40, and replied: “I have another player who won a Champions League at 40, who was [Paulo] Maldini.
“The two can be compared in terms of what a footballer has to have. There is a genetic element, but above all it is the commitment they have.
“That is the only way to reach 40, like Luka will…”