BALE’S REAL CRISIS
Gareth Bale’s real Madrid future is on the line after his agent told fans yesterday they should be kissing his feet instead of screaming abuse at the Welshman.
Bale (right) was whistled at by the best part of 80,000 supporters on saturday when he was substituted in real’s 1-0 defeat by Barcelona.
he will be on the bench for tonight’s Champions league game against ajax, with Premier league clubs watching the situation closely despite knowing he prefers to stay in spain.
Jonathan Barnett, who took Bale to spain in 2013 for a record £86million, told sky sports News: ‘this generation of real fans will be talking about Gareth’s goals for years to come. they should be ashamed of themselves.
‘he deserves the greatest of respect. the way the real fans have treated him is nothing short of a disgrace.
‘In the six years he has been in spain, he has won everything. he’s one of the best players in the world. those fans should be kissing his feet.’
Barnett’s comments come
with Bale on the brink at the Bernabeu, under fire not just from supporters but from the Madrid sports media, too. Newspaper Marca and Spanish radio station Onda Cero accused him of leaving the stadium before the final whistle on Saturday night. They claimed that, after being taken off in the 61st minute, he took his seat briefly on the bench, then made for the dressing room before driving away from the stadium before the end of the game. Sources close to the player told Sportsmail yesterday the story was ‘complete garbage’. Two weeks ago, Bale’s agent Barnett (below) told Sportsmail: ‘The criticism is laughable. He’s won four Champions Leagues in five years. He’s scored some of the biggest goals in the club’s history.’ Bale has always said his cold relationship with Madrid supporters did not bother him, but cracks began to open a month ago when he was stunned to hear whistles directed his way in a home game against Alaves. The previous weekend he had come back from injury to score within seconds of coming on against Espanyol and he could not understand the response. Two angry gestures made after scoring goals in subsequent matches got him into trouble, with the league threatening a 12-game ban for the first incident. Both were acts of frustration at the animosity from his own fans. Manchester United have previously offered Bale a way out of the club, but he has never wanted to leave Spain, for United or for a romantic return to Spurs, who would not be able to match his wages at Real. Bale has a contract at Real until 2022 and has always enjoyed the protection of Florentino Perez, the club president who signed him in 2013. But with the finger of blame beginning to turn towards Perez for not having bought a replacement for Ronaldo, that support could be on the wane. Barnett added: ‘There has not been a single discussion about Gareth leaving Madrid. He isn’t going anywhere this summer. ‘Despite what’s been reported, he’s content, he wants to stay at Real and they want him.’