VIDEO – They’ve got history… Adam vs Bale

Having pulled out of the Great Britain Olympic team with a back injury, Gareth Bale upset a few people when he showed up in a Tottenham Hotspur pre-season game before any Olympic football had even been played. He scored in Spurs’ 1-1 draw with LA Galaxy and played 75 minutes.

Bale then started Spurs’ game against Liverpool which finished 0-0 and was subbed off at half-time, but not before Charlie Adam got in a crunching tackle on the Welshman.

“I think it is a very nasty challenge from Charlie,” said Andre Villas-Boas. “Charlie came to me and said something about the challenge. I can accept, but I think he should go to the player to say sorry. If he [Bale] escapes hospital, it is because he is very lucky. I can never doubt Charlie’s integrity but it is a very, very nasty challenge. Gareth is not OK. He’s so-so. His ankle is extremely painful and twisted. I did not know the history between the two.”

As the video below shows, Adam and Bale have history, with the former Blackpool midfielder forcing Bale out for three months with ankle ligament damage.

A “source” has told The Sun this morning: “The manager was horrified by the tackle and thinks it is one of the most cowardly tackles he has seen. He believes Adam could have pulled away if he wanted to. The manager is determined to report Adam.”

Bale was seen leaving the ground wearing a protective boot on his left ankle as a result of Adam’s challenge.

It would be hard for Adam to argue that he has his eyes on the ball, with his line of vision seemingly directly on Bale’s ankle.