Bale ‘more excited’ in a Wales shirt

GARETH BALE has admitted what many in Spain have long suspected: he gets more of a thrill pulling on a Wales shirt than he does playing for Real Madrid. Bale has not been deemed fit to play for Real since picking up a calf injury during Wales’ 1-1 draw with Croatia on October 13, but he is confident he will be ready to play a significant part against Azerbaijan tonight and against Hungary on Tuesday. Wales need to win both matches to have any chance of automatic qualification for Euro 2020. Asked if playing for Wales allowed him to rediscover the joy of football, Bale said: ‘To an extent. I’ve been with most of the older players since we were in the Under-17s. It’s like playing with your mates down the park on a Sunday. It’s normal. With Wales, I’m speaking my own language and feel more comfortable. ‘I definitely have more excitement playing with Wales. But it doesn’t change what I do on the pitch. I always give 100 per cent wherever I am. That’s what I always strive to do.’ Bale, 30, has had a successful six-year spell in Spain, yet his relationship with boss Zinedine Zidane remains strained. He almost left to join Chinese club Jiangsu Suning last summer, only for the deal to collapse in the final stages. He enjoys the Spanish lifestyle but supporters and pundits have become irritated by his frequent absences through injury, and his love of golf. Predrag Mijatovic, a former Real player who also worked as the club’s director of football, said last month: ‘The first thing he thinks about is Wales, then golf and, after that, Real Madrid.’ The observation has been adopted by some Wales fans, with a flag bearing the slogan ‘Wales, golf, Madrid — in that order!’ expected to appear at Tuesday’s Hungary game. When he was chosen by Wales earlier this month, despite last playing for Real on October 5, Spanish newspaper AS ran a front-page picture of Bale on the golf course, alongside the headline ‘Triple Bogey’. Bale hit back: ‘I’ve never had a triple bogey! ‘People really don’t understand. I’ve tried to get back as quick as I can. If there had been a Real Madrid game this week, I would have been fit and training to play. ‘Maybe to them it doesn’t look great but it’s a coincidence that the national team has come around this week and I’ve returned to full training. It happens in football. ‘If I’m fit, no matter where I am, I’m going to try to play, whether it be Wales or Madrid. I’ve done a full week’s training and I’m as prepared as I can be.’