Bale claimed on Tuesday that the plan for him is to return to Real Madrid, where he has a year left on his contract, once his loan stint at Tottenham ends in the summer.
The Welshman indicated that for the moment he has no intention of extending his stay at Tottenham and a return to Spain is on the cards at the end of the season.
Hislop says that he is not surprised as he feels if not for the European Championship in the summer Bale would have been happy to stay at Real Madrid and do nothing while picking up his wages.
He stressed that Bale clearly prioritises Wales above others and returning to Tottenham was always a way for him to remain ready for the summer tournament rather than any sort of love for the north London club.
Hislop said on ESPN FC: “Gareth Bale would have been more than happy to just sit out the last two years of his contract in Madrid picking up his money, but for the Euros coming up.
“He has always worn that Wales shirt with such pride and I felt, particularly in the last couple of years, he has probably saved his best footballing performances for Wales.
“So you know what that means to him and the opportunity to go back to Spurs kind of fed into that.
“And that’s the only takeaway [from his comments] – happy to pick up his money, Wales is important and Spurs are just kind of a stepping stone, which we kind of knew.”
Bale has scored ten goals in 25 appearances in all competitions for Tottenham this season.
