Where has it all gone wrong for superstar Bale?
GEORGE BEST was once famously asked by a hotel waiter delivering champagne, ‘Where did it all go wrong?’, as he entertained Miss World with his casino winnings scattered on the bed.
The same could be asked of Gareth Bale as he prepares to face Manchester City in the Champions League this week with his life at Real Madrid under scrutiny.
Like the legendary Best, who, it was argued, did not fulfil his enormous potential, according to Bale’s critics the Welshman is currently underperforming.
Lately, when he has played, Bale’s performances have certainly been under par.
Last Sunday in a 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo, he was awarded just four out of 10 in the local papers.
The week before – when not even named in the squad – he left for home before the game ended, prompting more criticism from fans.
There is constant talk of a rift between him and boss Zinedine Zidane (above), which has been continually denied by the Frenchman and Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett.
What is clear is that Bale is on a £600,000-aweek contract, which still has two years to run, and he has four Champions League winner’s medals to go alongside three Club World Cup gongs and a La Liga success.
According to former Republic of Ireland star Tony Cascarino, who spent six years with Marseille and Nancy, it’s time to move on.
“Why doesn’t he take a cut in wages and go and play football regularly?” asked Cascarino. “Let’s see if he has the motivation and desire to be as good as he can be. I do question his hunger to play.”
Injuries have plagued Bale in recent seasons, and Wales boss Ryan Giggs has insisted that Bale’s love of golf will have to be shelved while on international duty.
Giggs believes that swinging a golf club places too much pressure on the forward’s body.
An obsession with the sport – he has replicated three famous golf holes in grounds at his Wales home – has aggravated the volatile situation with Madrid fans.
They were especially angry when a flag was unfurled with Bale and his teammates standing beside it, emblazoned with “Wales. Golf. Madrid. In That Order”.
Bale said: “I definitely have more excitement playing for Wales, but it doesn’t change what I give on the pitch.”
Real looked set to let him join Chinese club Jiangsu Suning last summer, but the deal fell through when club president Florentino Perez demanded a £30million transfer fee.
Bale was on the verge of becoming the first £1m-a-week footballer, and Barnett said: “He wanted to create a legacy. He wanted to bring Chinese football up. He’s won everything he can win.”
Barnett added: “He loves Real Madrid. So much rubbish is written about him, that he doesn’t speak Spanish – he does speak Spanish! It’s disgusting the way people talk about him.”
Where, indeed, has it all gone wrong?