Gareth Bale will play in his second Champions League Final in his third season with Real Madrid on Saturday.

Bale's transition both on and off the pitch with Real Madrid has not always been easy, but he feels like he's improved dramatically as a player.

“The Premier League is end to end; here teams come and sit and you have to learn a different style,” he explains. “I feel like that first season everyone didn’t know fully what I was about so I could do the same thing as in England. Then they knew what I was about and tried to nullify what I do well. I found it more difficult but I’m so happy that season did happen because I learnt a lot: about keeping the ball, movement, intelligence, decision‑making. It’s because of that bad season that I think I’ve had such a good season now. I’ve improved, I have more variety in my game.”

Bale scored a hat-trick against Inter Milan in the San Siro, which will host Saturday's match, at the age of 21 for Spurs.

“We lost in Milan but it felt like we won and that game was the reason I wanted to play in the Champions League. It was the game that gave me the confidence to know I could play against the best. To score a hat-trick against the reigning European champions … my confidence grew, belief. And I haven’t looked back from there, really.”

Bale says he feels more settled than ever with Zinedine Zidane now manager.

“I feel more a part of it now,” Bale said. “In the first year you don’t know a lot of people but I feel more settled, more integrated, more involved.”