It’s now or never for Gareth Bale at Real Madrid
By Hasan Karim
Real Madrid drawing FC Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey semifinal has just added to what was already a make-or-break few weeks for Real Madrid’s season. Alongside vital league fixtures with both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid and the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie against Ajax, Real are now facing the possibility of seeing their chances of lifting a trophy increased or vanquished.
Given the importance of these upcoming fixtures, Santi Solari is going to need all of his players on their A-game and to be performing in the big moments when called upon. With Cristiano Ronaldo now no longer there to be that man of the moment, attention has shifted to the clubs record transfer star, Gareth Bale.
Despite the upturn in form of Karim Benzema and the welcome surprise of Vinicius’ quick adaptation, the man in this team was always meant to be the Welshman. Florentino Perez’s personal project, his golden boy. Whilst Bale has shown moments of magic over the years, it is no secret that a portion of the fan-base has lost their belief in him to lead this team.
Bale has endured rotten luck with injuries during his time in Spain. He missed a huge portion of the 2016/17 season to injury and in-turn saw Zinedine Zidane lose faith in him last season as he saw his minutes shot down. This season has seen Bale once again struggling with injuries and struggling to gain form.
With polls coming out for Bale to be dropped, reports in the summer that Zidane wanted him sold before he decided to depart himself, Bale is under pressure. One could imagine that if he isn’t able to help Madrid in this time of importance, is it time to move him on?
Bale is a world-class player, nobody doubts it. He’s shown in big games that he can stand-out. Whether it is blitzing past Bartra down the touchline, dragging Real within one point of Barcelona in the second half of the 15/16 campaign or scoring a brace in the UEFA Champions League final – he can be the big man in the big moments.
However, at 29 now and not having put together a consistent string of performances in some time and being outperformed by some of his peers, the question begins to pop up – if he can’t do it now, will he ever do it?
Real Madrid: Question Corner #5. dark. Next
For Gareth Bale, these next few weeks could decide his future in the Spanish capital. If he can prove decisive then whether or not he is moved on in the summer, he will be remembered more fondly than if he ghosts through as Real fall. These next few weeks could very well make or break not only his future, but his legacy at the club.