A Premier League legend  has revealed he once tested out Gareth Bale's unusual diet in a bid to reach the performance levels of his Tottenham Hotspur teammate, only to realise the Welshman's methods 'didn't quite work' for him.

The prolific striker scored 199 goals in a stellar career, acting as an imposing figurehead for a number of successful Premier League attacks over the years.

The Englishman was a popular character on and off the pitch, thrilling fans with his famous celebrations and entertaining post-match interviews.

The star joined Spurs from Portsmouth in 2009 and played with Bale at White Hart Lane for two years until his £10million move to Stoke City.

Impressed by the Welshman's performances on the pitch and on the training field, the lofty centre-forward decided to copy his pre-match eating habits, to limited effect, and has now detailed the experience on his podcast. 

He told That Peter Crouch Podcast: 'You know, what changed for me was watching Gareth Bale.

'I've talked about this before, watching Gareth be the most intense runs, the most distance covered, it was ridiculous.

'He was one of the most fittest players I've ever seen.

'He'd just literally have baked beans on toast every time. And I thought, "what is in those beans?"

So I started doing it. I started doing baked beans on toast. 

'I thought it must be the difference. It didn't quite work for me!

'But you know when you see other people doing different things and, certainly later on in your career, you see definitely the chefs and stuff at the training ground has changed.'

Crouch also told co-presenter Steve Sidwell that his typical pre-match dish consisted of chicken, pasta and boiled potatoes.

But his habits were not completely normal either. The striker used to sometimes tuck into this bulky snack at 9am if his side were playing in the early kick-off.

Bale followed Crouch in leaving White Hart Lane in 2013 but, thanks to a 2012-13 season where he scored 26 - largely exceptional - goals, he commanded a much higher transfer fee of £85m.

He went on to score 106 and assist 67 more in 258 matches at the Bernabeu before returning to Spurs for one season in 2020 and eventually retiring at Los Angeles FC in 2023, aged 33.