Former Tottenham captain Ledley King credits Gareth Bale's form this season to becoming a father.

Bale has been outstanding for Spurs this term and King offers a new theory for the reasons behind it.

"Gareth has just become a father to a daughter [Alba, in October last year] and he is maturing as a footballer and a person," King told the London Evening Standard. "These events do have an impact on what you do on the pitch. When I became a father [in 2004], it certainly matured me.

"I definitely felt I grew up a little bit and you then try to take that bit more responsibility on the pitch, and that's what you're seeing now with Gareth. He feels good about life at the moment and it's showing in his football.

"It's a combination of confidence, maturity and a manager [Andre ­Villas?Boas] who has really got great faith in him. He has taken all that with him on to the pitch and now he is performing at the highest level."