After once playing a record 24 Premier League games without
finishing on the winning side for Tottenham, the Welsh wideman is
now rated at £50million.
Capello is expected at White Hart Lane tonight to watch Spurs
try to reach the Champions League quarter-finals by finishing off
AC Milan.
And the Italian, who played for and managed Milan, warned his
former side: "Gareth Bale is today the No 1 player in the
world.
"He is the only one who can make a difference in the role he
plays, as he has pace, technique and strength.
"Those are three qualities that are hard to find in a player who
is not a striker. Bale doesn't set out from defence like a
full-back.
"But he drives forward, and when he gets nearer to goal he moves
infield and shoots with amazing accuracy."
Bale, 21, rescued Tottenham's debut Champions League campaign
with a sensational hat-trick against Milan's city rivals Inter back
in October.
His treble, despite the 4-3 defeat, shoved Tottenham back on
track to qualify for the knockout stages as group winners.
Capello added: "Bale reminds me of Roberto Carlos, who was born
a left-back and matured both physically and in terms of tactical
awareness.
"Carlos was an explosive player, and the only one who came even
close to Bale."
The Welsh star missed the first leg in Milan - which Spurs won
1-0 through Peter Crouch's strike - with a back muscle injury.
But he returned as a sub against Wolves on Sunday and is sure
Spurs can finish the job against the Italians tonight. Bale said:
"It was frustrating to miss the first leg. Tottenham were up
against the top side in Serie A, but showed what they can do.
"Any team has its work cut out against us when we are at our
best.
"We have lost just one of our 19 home games this season. The San
Siro is huge compared to White Hart Lane, which holds just
36,000.
"But the atmosphere is white-hot. We're just five yards from the
front row of the stands, and the crowd is literally breathing down
our necks. It gives us a huge boost."
Tottenham have scored 25 goals in nine games in the competition
this season and manager Harry Redknapp will stick with his
attacking policy.
He said: "We've got to go for it. It's not our game to protect a
1-0 lead."