Gareth Bale’s time at Real Madrid has been a far cry from the fairy tale many thought it would be. Somewhere in between his ridiculous solo goal against Barcelona that won the Copa del Rey and scoring the game winning goal in the Champions League Final against Athletico Madrid, Madridistas have found plenty of room to hate one of the greatest players in the world.
The pressure of their demands is real and uncompromising. “He should have passed here. He should have scored there. Let’s boo him now, and if he can’t deal with it, well then he’s just not Galactico material. This is Madrid, we demand perfection, and have patience for nothing else.” It is enough to make anyone question him-or-herself, but that doesn’t necessarily make it wrong.
This is Real Madrid we're talking about. A player must have it all to feature for Los Blancos, and the fans know it. Winning, talent and hard work are not always enough. That’s why Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria, and Xabi Alonso have been replaced by James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale himself. Such a culture does not allow for the weak, and Bale has been seen all to often as just that.
The common narrative is that Bale is some sort of longing child, hoping to win the admiration of the superior Ronaldo, and it has only been exacerbated by the arrival of James Rodriguez. Rodriguez has become fast friends with Ronaldo, striking a stark contrast with Bale's own relationship with the Portuguese star. Bale is now time-and-time again portrayed as longing for Ronaldo’s attention and approval.
Not the most flattering photo, is it? (Photo: Sky Sports)
Frank Lampard recently contributed to the narrative as well. In response to the recent controversy over Bale not passing to Ronaldo, and Bale’s mediocre form in general, Lampard told Sky Sports that Ronaldo should “come out and say there is no issue because he is the boss really and he maybe needs to say that.”
Lampard went on: “I get the feeling [Bale] is a nice boy. There is a bit of ego and he should have some because of what he has achieved in the game, but maybe there is a moment when he thinks, should I go for goal and take it on or should I look for the other option in case I get criticized?’”
A nice boy who has a tendency to overthink situations and needs to be publicly backed by a leader is not exactly the kind of player that defines Real Madrid. Yet that is how Bale is repeatedly portrayed. This is what Bale is up against, it is the fight he needs to fight.
Bale has the rare opportunity — rare at Real Mardid at least — to prove he belongs by playing better. Ozil, Di Maria, and Alonso all had exceptional careers at Madrid, but none of them had the star power that Bale provides and that Real Madrid craves. As long as Bale performs at a high level, Madrid will want to keep him.
Playing better will help end the “too nice” and “notice me, senpai” narratives as well. His run of (questionably) bad form is the only reason why these negative perceptions of him have gotten any traction in the first place. People always try to find reasons for why a player is not performing, and are only too happy to latch onto the “he’s too nice/doesn’t fit in” narrative. Luckily for Bale, the most flawed winning player is easier to accept than the most charismatic loser. There is not a sports star in the world whose character is questioned as he scores a goal or raises a trophy, and Bale needs to remind Madrid just how good he is at doing both.
For all this talk of Bale being nice and needing Ronaldo’s backing, Lampard does believe that Bale can put it all behind him: “He might come through this phase even stronger. He might beat three players next week and put it in the top corner.” Bale is still a world class talent. He doesn’t need to change his personality in order to succeed. He only needs to realize that his performances are his greatest opportunity to prove himself as a Galactico, to prove that he fits in.
He’s a nice guy that so many want to finish last, we hope he never gives them the satisfaction.
