Enough is enough, it’s time for Real Madrid fans to stop whistling Gareth Bale
Real Madrid right winger Gareth Bale has only a few months left before he leaves the club for good. It is an inevitable departure that will help the team financially, given Bale makes 30 million euros per year and is no longer an important part of the team. But it is nonetheless tough to say goodbye to a player who gave so much to both the club and the city of Madrid, including a nearly one million pound donation at the beginning of the pandemic.
Despite the fact that Bale won four Champions League titles and took Real Madrid to new heights after being a record transfer for the Merengues, he still fails to get the respect he has earned from Madridistas. You would think that with Bale on his way out anyway and with him having patched things up with new manager Carlo Ancelotti, Madridistas would let up on the jeers.
Yet when Bale entered the pitch late in the match for Karim Benzema against Getafe this past weekend, he was booed by half of the Santiago Bernabeu in his first appearance at the venue in 654 days. Half the crowd gave him a well-deserved round of applause to lift his spirits, but the other half decided to be petty, perhaps as a result of Bale not playing in El Clasico.
Gareth Bale should be appreciated for taking Real Madrid to another level
At this point, we’re past the point where the boos are anything but embarrassing. Not every fan does this or disrespects Bale, but there is a significant portion of the fanbase who acts holier-than-thou towards Bale. They don’t care about the positives, they don’t care that he has owned up to mistakes, and they don’t care that everyone actually associated with the club respects him. All they care about is their agenda and putting themselves at the center of attention, just to disrespect someone who has accomplished more than most forwards who have played for this legendary club.
Bale showed up in every big game. He was the final piece of the puzzle that turned Real Madrid into one of the most dominant teams historically – certainly so in the modern era of the Champions League. And it is obvious that the boos don’t help perform, whereas fans could argue that other players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema pick up their games when booed.
Let Bale have a warm send-off. Understand that he is nearing the end of his career, and just being on the pitch is a positive enough with all the injuries he has gone through over the years. Bale needs a supportive environment and has earned the grace of Madridistas. There is no point in booing him. It won’t send a message, other than galvanizing the narrative that Madrid fans are awful, and it won’t urge Bale to play any better in this backup role to Benzema.
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Put the pettiness aside. Any reason a Real Madrid fan has to dislike Bale isn’t grounded in reality. He didn’t make that silly banner, by the way. The only people he has ever criticized sharply are those in the Spanish press who spread this hatred and misinformation to sell their articles, as we recently saw with that awful “parasite” article. Do not be among the uneducated and the gullible. Do not fall for this campaign against Bale and be among those who criticize a man who has done a lot on and off the pitch for Real Madrid.