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In praise of … learning the language In praise of … learning the language
(17 days later)
Gareth Bale celebrated his arrival in Madrid with a few words of Spanish : "Hello, it's a dream for me to play for Real Madrid. Thank you for the great welcome." Not quite as sophisticated as the generous tribute his former boss, the Portuguese mother-tongue André Villas-Boas, paid his former star in English, but the kind of gesture that Bale's new fans will surely appreciate. One of Bale's predecessors on the golden road to Spain, David Beckham, was quite fluent by the time he left, as was Jonathan Woodgate. It's a welcome contrast with the other British attitude, summed up in Ian Rush's comment on joining Juventus that they all speak a foreign language. The Bale welcome in Madrid coincided with Sir John Major's arrival for his holiday in Candeleda, about 100 miles away. The former prime minister is such a regular there that he has now had a street named after him – so it's a pity he still cannot say anything in the language beyond gracias.Gareth Bale celebrated his arrival in Madrid with a few words of Spanish : "Hello, it's a dream for me to play for Real Madrid. Thank you for the great welcome." Not quite as sophisticated as the generous tribute his former boss, the Portuguese mother-tongue André Villas-Boas, paid his former star in English, but the kind of gesture that Bale's new fans will surely appreciate. One of Bale's predecessors on the golden road to Spain, David Beckham, was quite fluent by the time he left, as was Jonathan Woodgate. It's a welcome contrast with the other British attitude, summed up in Ian Rush's comment on joining Juventus that they all speak a foreign language. The Bale welcome in Madrid coincided with Sir John Major's arrival for his holiday in Candeleda, about 100 miles away. The former prime minister is such a regular there that he has now had a street named after him – so it's a pity he still cannot say anything in the language beyond gracias.
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