He may be just 23-years-old, with only a handful of seasons in the Premier League to his name, but Gareth Bale could well be one of English top flight football’s best ever players already.

That is the opinion of West Ham midfielder Joe Cole, who confronted Spurs talisman Bale at his rampant best last Monday.

For the past few seasons, Welsh international Bale has been notching stellar performances to his belt, and this campaign has seen him go into overdrive.

Spurs must wonder where they’d be without him, and their 3-2 win over the Hammers was a case in point.

Bale’s brace of exponential brilliance secured Spurs their derby win, and left a significant impression in Cole’s experienced football worldview.

The Cockney veteran thinks that Bale may well have already scaled the EPL heights.

"You can't help the goal from Bale – it's world class and he is in that kind of form at the moment," Cole told TalkSPORT, referring to the Welshman’s spectacular second goal against the Hammers.

“He could be up there with the best players in the Premier League's history.

"He has still got some work to do, but he has certainly got the potential to be up there with the Ronaldo's and the Henry's that this country has seen.

“He is great to watch, but he's a nightmare to play against unfortunately."