He’s reigned in Spain now Bale should jump on a plane..to United
GARETH BALE’S post-Champions League Final assertion that he is staying put at Real Madrid left me with one question.
And that is: What more is there left for him to achieve at the Bernabeu?
The Welshman has won the Champions League three times, La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
So it’s not like anyone on our shores could ever question whether his stay in the Spanish capital has been a success or not.
OK, so he’s the third bestpaid player on the planet and the 27-year-old could well add to his Champions League haul once, maybe twice, if he were to remain.
But with all their resources, Manchester United in particular would be able to match, or even better, his income were they to sign him and there are no guarantees he will play week in, week out if he stays in Spain.
That’s why, if I were Jose Mourinho, I would be going all out to land Bale this summer regardless of what he said on Saturday following the win over Juventus in Cardiff.
And I would be using the fact David De Gea is a live target for Real to the best of my advantage.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Bale would be any sort of makeweight – he’s too big a deal himself for that.
But Real’s hopes of landing the Spain keeper might just give Mourinho some wiggle room to make a counter bid and, with Isco’s form, Los Blancos might just consider it.
United are in desperate need of a goalscorer with Zlatan Ibrahimovic injured and Wayne Rooney leaving, and I can see Bale morphing in the next couple of years into the sort of player Cristiano Ronaldo has become.
I remember saying I could see Ronaldo playing up front when was he still at United and being ridiculed for it by a good number of their fans.
But he has proved me right and I’m certain Bale could do the same given the opportunity.
Of course, should Bale join
I can see Bale morphing into a player like Ronaldo is now
United then he might not have more than an outside chance of winning the Premier League title in the next two or three seasons.
And, arguably, there’s no chance of him winning the Champions League in that period.
But Isco’s form while Bale has been injured will give Zinedine Zidane a problem for the start of next season.
And the fact the Spaniard is a darling of the Bernabeu won’t make things any easier.
Isco is one of those players who is not only good with the ball and creative but he has that “worker” element to him which resonates with supporters.
He comes off dripping with sweat, he looks like he has put in a shift and they love that.
Zidane clearly likes it about him, too.
That is the main reason why, after years of speculation, the time finally seems right for Bale and United.
The club have the history and status, the player would be returning to Britain as a Champions League winner.
It’s a hand-in-glove fit and what a statement signing him would be for United.