It’s no secret that Real Madrid star Gareth Bale and Zinedine Zidane had a rocky relationship over the past few years. But it’s rare that either party will divulge any context so soon.
Welsh international Gareth Bale shook the Madrid fanbase with comments he made about Zinedine Zidane. Bale sat down with FourFourTwo for an interview which will be in the outlets March 2019 edition.
There is no hiding the fact that the two didn’t have a great relationship with one another. Bale was overlooked by Zidane numerous times, even in big matches, namely the Champions League. Even when he was fit, Zidane looked to others who were in form to get the job done for the team.
Gareth has now been in four Champions League Finals in the last five years, but last year was his second straight start off the bench. In both occasions, he was left out due to Zidane’s decision to play Isco.
In last years Final though, it was Bale who made the greatest impact of the match with two incredible goals. Even after all that though Bale admitted there was no bonding that took place after the match in Kiev.
In the interview, Bale said “He didn’t talk to me about it – I still haven’t spoken to him since. Our relationship was good. I wouldn’t say we were best mates, it was just a normal professional relationship.”
Not only was Kiev difficult but so was Cardiff the year before. The Welshman was happy for being given in a cameo appearance in his home country but still felt like he deserved a start. Bale looked back on the time saying “I was really frustrated not to start,”.
The winger admitted that he had picked up form ahead of the match but was still relegated to the sideline having “scored five goals in my last four league games of the season and felt like I deserved to be involved from the start.”
Bale hasn’t had a great time this season either due to injuries and being overlooked by Lucas Vazquez. Even when he has had minutes, Bale has failed to prove that he deserves a starting role. Against Alaves he managed to contribute very little resulting in his substitution.
Solari seems to have taken a page out of Zidane’s book in electing to push aside the Galactico policy and pick personnel based on merit rather than status. As of now, it has worked, fans can just hope that he stays true to his gut and Bale plays when it’s right for the team.