Gareth should come home for some TLC
MAYBE it’s his hair. Maybe it’s the lukewarm reception he received from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Maybe it’s his patchy injury record.
But Gareth Bale has never truly convinced at Real Madrid.
Despite several breathtaking goals – including last night’s 100th of his Real career – and a controversy-free life, he has never won over f ootball ’ s most demanding supporters.
They were at it again this week, jeering the Wales star for a miss that hardly fell into the blooper category during the
Copa del Rey Clasico against Barcelona.
It was followed by a battering on social media.
And now news has also seeped out that former boss Zinedine
Zidane couldn’t even bring himself to congratulate
Bale on the wondergoal that tipped the balance against Liverpool last season.
It’s been six seasons now. And it doesn’t look as if Bale is going to ever convince the Madridistas that he is worthy of wearing that famous white shirt.
Why should any of this matter? Well, it matters because Chelsea – and to a lesser extent, Tottenham – have something that Real Madrid want this summer.
And Bale could be – should be – the pawn in the game that enables Roman Abramovich & Co to escape from the inevitable loss of Eden Hazard with a workable solution.
The Belgian attacker now says he knows what he’s going to do at the end of the season.
He’s not signed a contract that Chelsea have been pressing him to do. And he’s not said he’s happy
to stay put. It’s pretty obvious where this one is heading. If Madrid come calling, there is no reason why Bale – who will hit 30 years of age this summer – could not finish the last few years of his frontline career at Stamford Bridge.
Let’s be fair. Losing Hazard (right) would hit any team on the planet.
But Ronaldo has shown that there is life after 30.
Xabi Alonso didn’t pitch up at Bayern Munich until he had gone way beyond that landmark and yet he still created a legendary legacy.
There are all kinds of reasons to suggest why Bale would be happy in the capital.
But that does pose the question as to whether or not a return to Tottenham may be an option.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has in Christian Eriksen a man who is viewed as a l ong- term replacement for Luka Modric. He also
has a huge bill from the rebuild at White Hart Lane – but a top-four place coupled with the return of the prodigal son would certainly buy him time.
Even Paris Saint-germain may be a calling point. Bale would make an ideal makeweight in any deal involving Neymar.
Now, a forward line of Neymar, Hazard and Karim Benzema would certainly whet the appetite in the corridors of power. Bale is too good a player to need to prove himself any longer. His time in Spain, along with his trophies means he has been a resounding success – irrespective of what the most difficult-to-please crowd in world football think.
There will be a deal to be done on his money. There always is.
But Bale should come home. He has proved he could hack it at Real – and there’s no doubt his talents will still be appreciated e l s e whe r e .