Bale's best pal leaves job, girlfriend to be player's 'all-expenses paid' minder at Madrid

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The best friend of new Real Madrid signing Gareth Bale has reportedly split from his girlfriend and left his job to follow the 86 million-pound player to Spain to be his all-expenses-paid minder.

According to the Mirror, Jamie Clarke quit his 15,000 pounds-a-year job as a postman and broke up with his girlfriend Claire before joining the Welsh ace, who previously played in Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.

The report said that the move is similar to that of troubled England legend Paul Gascoigne, who paid his best friend Jimmy 'Five Bellies' Gardner to go to Italy with him when he joined football club Lazio in 1992.

Clarke, who used to play school football with Bale, has confirmed the move, with a source saying that when Bale nearly signed for Inter Milan last summer, Clarke, who still plays Sunday league football, was offered the move to Italy.

Stating that Clarke and his girlfriend split up in the summer, the source also said that Clarke jumped at the chance to transform his life to follow Bale, who now earns a whopping 300,000 pounds-a week beside Real stars like Cristiano Ronaldo.

The report however, said that Bale takes a pride in staying down to earth with the help of Clarke, with whom he often plays golf,

Five Bellies split from his girlfriend to be Gascoigne's 700 pounds-a-week minder at Lazio and the pair became famous for their escapades, the report added.