Casemiro picks unexpected former Real Madrid teammate as the ‘most complete’ player he’s ever played with
Casemiro surprised many when he picked a former teammate as the most complete player he’s ever played with—without naming Cristiano Ronaldo.
Having spent almost four years at Manchester United, Casemiro is set to leave after this season, with over 150 games under his belt. He’s expected to be a big part of the World Cup this summer before deciding what to do next. Rumors say he might head to the MLS to wrap up his amazing career.
Casemiro made his pro debut back in July 2010 and has since won five Champions League titles, three La Liga trophies, and lots more. During his career, he’s shared the pitch with some of football’s biggest stars like Ronaldo, Neymar, Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema, and Luka Modric.
But when asked who stood out as the most complete player, Casemiro chose Gareth Bale.
“Bale is the most complete player I’ve seen,” he said on Rio Ferdinand Meets. “Cristiano is the best, no doubt, but if you take him out of the conversation, Bale is the complete package. Cristiano scores lots of goals, but Bale attacks, defends, heads, scores, fouls—he does everything really well, fast, and strong. For me, he’s unbelievable.”
Rio Ferdinand asked about others Casemiro had played with, like Neymar and Ronaldinho. Casemiro replied, “Neymar doesn’t really defend. Bale, in his best days, did everything—attack, defend, score, head, foul, strong. He helps both ways. Bale is top.”
Bale was a key player during one of Real Madrid’s most successful periods, helping the team win five Champions League titles. In nine years with Real, Bale scored 106 goals in 258 games across all competitions.
Still, many Real fans don’t remember Bale as fondly, as his attitude and comments about playing for Wales and enjoying golf often drew criticism in the Spanish media.