Gareth Bale’s Real Madrid story all but over
Gareth Bale’s time at Real Madrid seems to be all but over after Zinedine Zidane went against his usual calm self to make it clear that the Welshman is no longer part of the plans at the club and that the sooner he leaves, the better.
"“He wasn’t included in the squad because the club is working on his departure and that’s why he didn’t play. We’ll have to see what happens in the coming days. We’ll have to see if it goes through tomorrow, if it does then all the better. Let’s hope, for everyone’s sake, that it happens soon. The club is dealing with the club that he’ll move to.”"
These were the manager’s exact words in his post-match press conference when questioned why he did not even include Bale in the squad list for the friendly against Bayern Munich, which Real Madrid lost 3-1.
Even though these words brought on a Twitter meltdown among Madridistas and other football fans, it was never a secret that the French manager wanted Bale out of the club for over a year.
Having said that, the wording may not be the best choice when focusing strictly on that but there are other things to take into account here.
While Bale has been very quiet in regards to any comments made to the media, his agent has done the exact opposite. Since the beginning of the summer, Jonathan Barnett has continuously made it clear that Bale will not leave the club and he wants to fight for a place regardless of the fact that the club doesn’t want him.
Not only was Barnett simply loving the spotlight but he also knows that the wages the Welshman earns at Real Madrid won’t be matched by anyone else. In all fairness though, this is a contract that Real’s hierarchy agreed on with Bale so it’s his right to want to fulfill it. However, just like the case with Zidane’s comments, Barnett could have approached this differently.
The whole relationship between Bale, Barnett, and the fans deteriorated awhile before that when the agent decided to speak out against the fans who have consistently whistled and jeered the Welshman.
"“This generation of Real fans will be talking about Gareth’s goals for years to come. They should be ashamed of themselves. Those fans should be kissing his feet.”"
As expected, these words were not taken well by the Madrid faithful and things went downhill very fast.
Zidane is a very calm guy and it was a shock to see him be so direct in a press-conference. It looks like he felt as though he had no other choice and it was his way of hitting back at Barnett and Gareth Bale. Even though I personally do not agree with it nor do I agree with the whole idea of Bale leaving, I guess it’s understandable when given previous circumstances.
Of course, the drama did not stop there as Barnett decided to respond to Zidane’s words by using his favorite word again “disgrace,” but this time, it was directed towards the manager himself. “Zidane is a disgrace. He shows no respect for a player that has done so much for Real Madrid,” were his words before admitting that they are working on his exit from the club.
With Bale, we see the ugly side of the media. Once they don’t get what they want from certain people, they make it a mission to focus on every single negative aspect of his life. I have never seen someone so heavily criticized for playing golf on the side or not being able to integrate himself into the Spanish life.
Yes, it would have helped but that has nothing to do with his playing. The media have been against Bale for a very long time now and this is a relationship that will never be fixed, even after he leaves.
Once Gareth Bale officially leaves the club, I urge all the fans to forget this chaotic and extremely ugly ending to his Real Madrid tenure and focus on the positives of his time at the club. He has given us many happy moments and has caused us to jump out of our seats in celebration numerous times, he has tried his very best to succeed at the club that he has supported since his younger days and even though it hasn’t worked out for him the way he planned for it to, that doesn’t mean that we have to carry our hatred right behind him as he exits.
Next. Real Madrid: Twitter reacts to Zinedine Zidane’s comments on Gareth Bale. dark
This whole story could have ended on a much better note but it wasn’t meant to be. Let’s not make it uglier than it already is.
From my end, I am grateful for what Gareth Bale has given us and won’t forget how much he has helped us in the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League throughout the years. He has been a great asset to the team and even though I’m sad to see him go, I do wish him all the best in his future.