Although Gareth Bale has put the speculation from last summer behind him and is having a solid season for Real Madrid, the Welsh forward is still reportedly unhappy with his situation. And if the reports are true, who can blame him?
It seemed like a guarantee that Gareth Bale would be playing elsewhere in 2019-2020, as rampant speculation surrounded the experienced Real Madrid wide man this summer. But Florentino Perez could not find a suitable offer for Bale, who was forced to remain with the club this season.
Yet despite all of the speculation and frustration, Bale has been solid this season. He scored a brace against Villarreal, showed a willingness to track back in a key win at Sevilla, and recently had a brilliant assist in the second minute of Real’s 4-2 win over Granada.
Bale has been a professional for Los Blancos this season, but he still reportedly wants out.
According to a piece from Guillem Balague on AS, Bale “has had enough” and would like to receive a transfer out of the Spanish capital next summer.
Per the report, Bale was upset when Zinedine Zidane did not put him in the squad in Real’s second Champions League fixture against Club Brugge. Instead, Zidane selected favorite winger Lucas Vazquez in the Starting XI, and it was a decision that proved to be disastrous in an embarrassing 2-2 draw to the Belgian side.
Balague reports that this was the “last straw” for Bale, and it ‘s understandable to see why Bale would be upset. He’s been much, much better than Vazquez this season, which isn’t a surprise since Bale is a world-class player and Vazquez is ideally a fringe roster player.
Bale has been a target for criticism by the fans over the past two seasons and has received less respect from the club than his accomplishments and quality would indicate. Zidane’s decision to bench him against Brugge was seen as a slight, especially since Bale was one of the few bright spots in a 3-0 loss to PSG earlier in the campaign.
A split between Bale and Madrid has always seemed likely, and the relationship between Bale and Zidane is a rocky one at best. But as long as Bale keeps performing well despite the pressure and what he sees as mistreatment, then he will inevitably impress a club enough to purchase him next summer. Perhaps that rumored Manchester United deal is still a possibility.
At the end of the day, Zidane and Real need to be more careful with managing star players like Bale, especially when someone has become a target in the media. Bale has shown that he is still a very effective player, and based on Real’s struggles in the Champions League, they still need him to reach their potential as a squad in 2019-2020.
A transfer in 2020 has always looked like the best option for both parties, but that doesn’t mean Real can cast him to the side; they need to value Bale. Benching him in an important game for Vazquez? That was disrespectful.