Real Madrid: Zinedine Zidane’s departure means Gareth Bale will stay
By Ben Sundock
After a heroic performance in the Champions League Final, it is obvious Gareth Bale still has the talent to be a regular in the Real Madrid first-team for years to come – if he can stay healthy. With the shocking departure of Zinedine Zidane last week, it is all but certain Bale will remain in Spain.
Zizou was a fantastic manager in his two and a half year stint with the Spanish giants. However, there were two things I could never understand that the Frenchman always did.
The first was his decision to almost always start Karim Benzema at striker despite his lack of goals. The second was his lack of faith in Gareth Bale. While Bale has been injury prone over the last 18 months or so, his form has outweighed the concern of him possibly going down injured.
Maybe the two butted heads behind the scenes and didn’t understand each other. Or maybe, Zidane simply liked Benz and Lucas Vazquez more than the Welshman.
Whatever the case, Zizou nearly drove the prolific forward out after the 28-year-old willed Real Madrid to their third consecutive Champions League title after coming off the bench to score two huge goals.
Now that Zinedine has left the club, it is clear that Gareth will not push for a move back to the Premier League this summer. Zidane might have been the only manager in the world who doesn’t look at the number 11 as a regular starter. Under Carlo Ancelotti in his first two years with the club, Bale played nearly 5,000 minutes in La Liga and started 54 matches.
Since Carlo left Madrid, the winger has started just 58 matches over the last three seasons. Yes, injuries have played a factor, but both Rafa Benitez and Zinedine Zidane did not think of Gareth as a regular starter.
I can all but guarantee that whoever is appointed manager ahead of the season will want Bale in the squad for nearly every match he is available. Furthermore, Real Madrid is determined to ward off the attempts of Manchester United by beginning contract renewal discussions with Gareth and his agent.
The club is looking to extend his contract beyond 2022 in an effort to deter Jose Mourinho and The Red Devils. Bale’s wages are already absurdly high at £350,000 a week after taxes (the second highest on the team), so raising his wage is likely not being discussed.
Bale finished the 2017/2018 campaign with the second most goals on the team with 21 in all competitions. His goal scoring mark was not the only impressive stat this season, as he earned eight Man of the Match awards and averaged well above a seven match rating in both the league and UCL.
While Vazques and Marco Asensio are slowly but surely receiving more and more minutes, they are not at the level Bale is right now. He scored six goals in the final four matches of the season and was dominant in La Liga all season.
It would be a huge mistake for Real to let this talent go after five years. He has scored the game-winning goal in two Champions League Finals and also scored the winner against FC Barcelona in the 2014 Copa Del Rey Final.
Next: Maurizio Sarri has potential to be Real Madrid’s new manager
He is still a vital part of the team and can still score goals at a high rate as we saw in the second half of the season. His form to close the season and his body of work throughout the season is proof enough that he should stay.
Yes, the departure of Zidane is sad for the club and Madridistas alike, but the good news is that Gareth Bale will remain in Spain.