Ah, Gareth Bale: the Welsh Messi, the Cannon, and, as his Real Madrid teammates call him, the Golfer.
Bale is prodigiously talented with pace, dribbling ability, range of passing and a rocket of a left foot. It seems like forever ago when the Welshman transferred from Tottenham to Real Madrid for a then-record fee of $113 million, but now it seems that his time at the Bernabeu is coming to an end.
The greatest champions league final goal ever.
Gareth Bale is a Real Madrid Legend and there’s nothing anyone can do about it tbh... pic.twitter.com/uH7YmAxwEJ— samzi25 (@samzi254) July 21, 2019
Bale started his career in Madrid brightly, scoring 22 goals and assisting 19 in all competitions during his first season. He was a perfect fit for Madrid and a great long-term option should Cristiano Ronaldo leave the club. But eventually, Bale found it hard to get chances in the team.
During Zinedine Zidane’s first full season in charge, he played a lot less. Granted, Bale was injured for a lot of that season and missed a total of 29 matches during the 2016-17 campaign. He missed another 14 games the following season under Zidane through various injuries. From there, it took Bale a while to get back on the horse.
So Gareth Bale is leaving Real Madrid... any excuse to bang this on my timeline. pic.twitter.com/uko4psQcYx
— Sam Dixon (@Samdixon0013) July 21, 2019
In Zidane’s eyes, Bale wasn’t fit enough to play a lot of matches for Real Madrid even when he wasn’t injured. Which is fair, because when Bale was fit after his long-term injury, his goal and assist tally were substantially less. For example, last season he scored eight league goals and assisted four in 29 appearances.
Before Gareth Bale arrived at Real Madrid, they hadn't won the Champions League for 12 years.
In his 6 years at the club, he's helped them to 4 European titles, single handedly winning them the 2018 final.The way he has been treated & disrespected has been an absolute joke. pic.twitter.com/w3rMYnzpE2
— FutbolBible (@FutbolBible) July 21, 2019
Zidane was quoted a few days ago saying, "Bale did not play because he is very close to leaving... We hope he leaves soon, it would be best for everyone. We are working on his transfer to a new team...I have nothing personal against him, but there is a time where things are done because they must be done. I have to make decisions, we have to change.”
Bale’s agent quickly came out to condemn Zindane’s comments, calling him a “disgrace.”
Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid:
Games: 227
Goals: 49
Assists: 66
Trophies: 6Gareth Bale at Real Madrid:
Games: 231
Goals: 102
Assists: 65
Trophies: 13Put some respect on his name. pic.twitter.com/wWTZ4jwexF
— 360Sources (@360Sources) July 21, 2019
Is Zidane wrong for letting Gareth Bale go? It can be looked at in a number of ways.
One side will say no, Zidane is not wrong. Bale is 30 years old, and his $67 million dollar market value will only go down from here. Plus, Real Madrid has been doing some hefty transfer business this summer, a nice fee for Bale will not only put some money back into the bank, but could be used to push for the further squad overhaul that Zidane wants.
Another side will say yes, Zidane is wrong. For how much Bale hasn’t played for Madrid in recent seasons, his overall stats for the club are pretty impressive. In six years, Bale made 231 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring a whopping 102 goals and assisting on 65 more.
30 is still relatively young; he may not be in the twilight of his career just yet. That being said, Bale could still give a lot to Madrid (even though Zidane probably won’t give him the chance).
Do you think Zidane is wrong to let Bale leave Madrid?
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