Why move to China is the only real option for Bale
IT IS all over for Gareth Bale at Real Madrid. The winger is set for a move to China after six seasons at the Bernabeu — and it is not a happy ending.
Madrid want him gone, head coach Zinedine Zidane in particular.
The Frenchman initially praised Bale. On his appointment in 2016, he vowed to pick the Welshman, along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, while refusing to reveal the rest of his XI. “The idea is to play with those three in attack,” he said. “They are the best.”
Those words are in stark contrast to his quotes on Saturday, when he said he hoped Bale would leave imminently. “If it’s tomorrow, even better,” he said.
Over time, Zidane grew frustrated with Bale and his injuries. By the time his goals changed the 2018 Champions League Final against Liverpool in Kiev, they were barely on speaking terms.
Z i d a n e wa n te d to sell Bale that summer, but when Ronaldo left and the Frenchman was told there would be no marquee signings, it was he who walked. Bale stayed, but when Zidane returned in March, there was renewed tension. The Frenchman was back on his own terms — and that meant the writing was on the wall for the winger.
Bale did not feature in any of the last three games of the season and was not even afforded the opportunity to say goodbye to the Bernabeu in the final fixture as he was left on the bench in the defeat to Real Betis.
Zidane’s comments on Saturday, after leaving Bale out of the 3-1 pre-season friendly defeat to Bayern Munich in Houston, signalled the end. And that was clearly the coach’s intention.
“He wasn’t called up because I believe the club are working on his exit,” said Zidane. And he made no secret of the fact that a departure would be better for everyone concerned.
At this point, it would. Booed by the fans who once cheered him and shunned by Zidane, Bale would face an unhappy future if he were to stay.
Agent Jonathan Barnett insisted his client is happy to stay and pick up his wages until his contract expires in 2022 — so Zidane has taken action.
Injuries aside, Bale has been criticised for failing to learn Spanish — or at least not speaking it in public — and has also been targeted by a sector of the Spanish media, with claims he is more interested in playing golf than football and that he has never integrated with his team-mates.
Bale is not unpopular in the dressing room, but his shyness has not helped and his lack of media presence means he has not been able to connect with the fans or put across his side of the story.
So, what next? He has been offered to a number of Europe’s elite clubs, including Paris St Germain, Manchester United, Bayern and Spurs, where he
Bale has been criticised for failing to learn Spanish — or at least not speaking it in public — and the Spanish media claim he is more interested in playing golf
made his name, but none seem prepared to take the risk on a player who is 30, remains injury prone and will have little resale value. Any interested club would have to pay a fee, plus huge wages.
China can offer that money, with Jiangsu Suning said to have drawn up a two-year contract for Bale, although it is not clear if they are also willing to pay a transfer fee. In the meantime, they have followed him on Instagram.
So, a move to the Far East does now seem imminent, as Zidane had hinted, and it is probably the best solution for all concerned after a difficult season in which he was unable to step up following Ronaldo’s exit to Juventus and a further deterioration of his relationship with his coach and the club’s supporters.
As time goes by, those fans may remember Bale more fondly for everything he did for their team, especially in the Champions League.
He definitely deserves a special place among their heroes and it is a shame — as with other Real icons such as Iker Casillas and even Ronaldo — that he is leaving the Bernabeu under a cloud.