Bale eager to stay at top table

Soccer:Tottenham winger Gareth Bale believes he can celebrate his Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award with a Champions League berth. The 21-year-old has been voted as the country's best player over the course of the season by his peers, beating six other shortlisted players to the award.

Bale has been in imperious form in the Barclays Premier League this campaign and performed admirably in the Champions League, which he believes he can grace again next season with Spurs.

"I think with playing for Wales, the Champions League is probably going to be the highest level I will be playing at the moment," he said. "It is important for me to be playing at the highest level and playing against the best players to improve and to test myself. And I think that is the most important thing now for us this season.

"The Champions League is still wide open for us and hopefully we can get it."

Bale netted a hat-trick at reigning European champions Inter Milan during Spurs' impressive run and the former Southampton man said the performance proved his side are able to compete with the best.

"There has been a few highlights," he added. "Obviously it was a personal hat-trick but we lost at the end of the night, but it was a great evening. I don't think anybody expected us to come back from 4-0 down. Personally I think it was a fantastic night and we did prove to Europe that we can compete with the big boys."

Bale was also nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year, but that award went to Jack Wilshere of Arsenal.

The 19-year-old has has long been considered one of the brightest talents to come through the Gunners' youth system in recent years and this time last year was on loan at Bolton honing his talent.

Now he is an integral member of Arsene Wenger's side, showing skill that belies his age, and he is confident of securing success with Arsene Wenger's side this year.

"I am a bit surprised," he said. "I am delighted just to be in the team. I have to keep it up now and hopefully we can win something this year."

Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Liverpool yesterday, but Wilshere said: "I don't think the title has gone. Obviously we wanted the three points but we got a point so we have to keep going. We think United will still drop points and we have to keep going and start winning to get the points when we can."