The former Tottenham star then sealed the victory for Real late on with a 30-yard strike which Loris Karius fumbled into his own net.
Although the German keeper was adjudged the villain, Bale became an unspoken name among the Liverpool FC community.
Looking back at Bale’s performance in the final with BT Sport, Milner first made clear: “I don’t hate him! [But] there are some bad memories there, obviously.
“The worst part about it was I went away to Spain just after this to get away from it.
Speaking about Gareth Bale brought back bad memories for James Milner (Image: BT Sport)
“And who’s buggy is parked in front of mine on the tee? [Bale’s.]
“I couldn’t even get away from him a week later! But the goal was incredible.
“To score that in any game is top [class] but to change a Champions League final like he did… Sometimes you’ve got to have respect.”
Fortunately for Milner, Liverpool exorcised their demons one year later by beating Tottenham 2-0 in the final to win the club’s sixth European Cup.
James Milner is a keen golfer when not on the football pitch (Image: Getty)
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Gareth Bale put Real Madrid ahead in the 2018 Champions League final with an overhead kick (Image: Getty)
“It was made more special by what happened the year before, obviously,” Milner said.
“Getting 97 points in the Premier League and not getting over the line, the pressure was on us.
“To have to do it two weeks later against another English team was always going to be tough, we know how good they are.
“On its own it’s special but to share it with the boys and what a great relationship we have in that dressing room, all the lads together and the team spirit. Yeah, it was just an amazing time for everyone.”