" Gareth Bale - What now for him? "
Thu Jul 16, 2020 10:42 pm
Picture tonight of Gareth Bale "celebrating" Real Madrid's title win in Spain.
Below is an article by Guillem Balague for the BBC.
What now for Gareth Bale?
While Zinedine Zidane is not generally regarded as being tactically the most sophisticated in the world, the trust and understanding he builds with all of his players is frequently cited as being second to none and the key to his success.
He understands them, he was one of them. He gives chances to anyone.
Gareth Bale would beg to differ.
It would be wrong to say their relationship has broken down because in reality it never even began to build up fully.
From the outset, they understand the profession and life very differently, and at the end of Zidane's first tenure in 2018, the distance had grown even though there was not a single incident to point out to when the bridges started breaking down.
Simply put, Zidane could not get to Bale and Bale started to sense it. And no words or conversations between his agent, Jonathan Barnett, and the club president Florentino Perez, a fan of Bale, could repair it.
Bale's relationship with Real gained further headlines in the last few days when he was photographed in the stands pretending to be asleep for a few seconds during his team-mates' game against Alaves and looking to the distance through a rolled-up piece of paper against Granada.
To try to understand what is going on with Bale's tense and tortuous spell at the club, we need to take a brief look at how we actually got to this point.
Before people start marking him as a failure, a predictable and boring national sport in Spanish media, think on this: Despite all his problems he is still the fifth highest goalscorer at Real Madrid in the 21st century - behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain - and has scored 105 goals in 251 games.
He has won one league title - soon to be two, probably, despite having played less of a part in proceedings this season - four Champions Leagues and against Liverpool in the 2018 final also scored what many believe to be the greatest ever Champions League final goal.
If that is failure, I'd be interested to see what success looks like.
But the sad reality is that it seems neither man came up to each other's expectations.
One of the main reasons Zidane left Real Madrid for the first time after the 2018 Champions league final was because of Bale. Put simply, the club - and specifically Perez - wanted to keep Bale and effectively turn him into the new Ronaldo, while Zidane most certainly didn't.
So Zidane, unable to get any of his points across to the president, left.
And when he returned in March 2019 one of the main conditions for his return was the departure of Bale.
A deal was brokered in the summer of 2019 that would take Bale to Chinese side Jiangsu Suning. No money would change hands and Real Madrid would, over the then six seasons Bale had played at the club, have amortised their €100m investment (£85.3m at the time).
A dispassionate, matter of fact Zidane announced the end of the Welshman's stay at the club in a press conference at a pre-season tournament in Texas: "It's nothing personal. The club is negotiating with whom he is going to play for. If he leaves tomorrow it would be best for everyone."
Bale was, and in fact still is, the highest paid player at the club but his wages at his new club would have made him the highest paid player in the history of the game. Real Madrid would save themselves the £35m plus they would have to pay him in wages for the remainder of his contract and Zidane would get what he wanted, namely Gareth Bale out of the Bernabeu.
Everyone's a winner - what could go wrong? Well just about everything actually.
Although Real Madrid wanted a fee for the player, Bale's people persuaded them that it was in the interest of everyone to let him go for free.
Everything was in place for a move, but suddenly news of a supposed offer of around €40m (£36m) for James Rodriguez came to the club's notice. How could selling Rodriguez for that sort of money, while simultaneously giving away Gareth Bale, be justified they thought?
Real Madrid immediately demanded a fee for the player and that was the end of that. From that moment on the Chinese club would not even accept any calls from any of the parties involved in the negotiation.
To add insult to injury the alleged offer for Rodriguez was later found to be fake. Rodriguez, another player who Zidane seems to have struggled with, is still at Real Madrid.
Bale now found himself stranded at a club where the manager had made it abundantly clear he was not wanted.
Something clicked in his mind at the point. Real Madrid had decided his future for him. For the time being at least, Bale was going nowhere.
Bale and his people did, however, make one last attempt in October to convince the club that a move was in the best interests of everyone, but was met by a wall of silence firstly from Zidane, whose response was to play him less and less, and then Perez who, having previously felt that Bale represented the new future of Real Madrid, effectively and unceremoniously kicked him into the long grass.
Also, there was no substantial offer to convince Bale to move away.
From the moment Bale started to receive the silent treatment his mind was made up; he knew what he was going to do.
If he wasn't going anywhere and if he wasn't going to get his chance to play, then his revenge would be to hang around until 30 June 2022 when his contract finally expires, by which time he will have received around 102 weeks' wages amounting to around £35.7m.
Years ago I spoke to Claude Makelele who told me when he was suffering at Chelsea: "I just look at my bank account and smile."
With a lifestyle that includes private jets, his own mini golf course in the 'back garden' of his home in Wales, and a luxurious house that he rents in Madrid, Gareth Bale is doing precisely the same thing.
He will stay and if they decide not to play him then that is their choice. Every now and then of course he will launch a shot across their bows.
Who can forget his "Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order" banner that he lifted after playing a Euro qualifier for his country back in November?
His behaviour on the stands during Real's last few games is basically the same attitude to his situation.
An apoplectic Ruben Jimenez from Marca spluttered: "Does Bale intend to laugh in the stands until 2022? Doesn't he have desire for football or revenge?" To which the answers are yes, no (not at the moment) and yes!
Against Granada, a game that needed new energy as the rivals were getting close to a dangerous draw, Zidane only used two subs and Bale did not even warm up.
He has played just five hours and 45 minute in La Liga in 2020 and when he does play he has made little difference, which gives Zidane the excuse to play him even less.
As things stand, if someone was to come to him and offer him a way back to the Premier League he would certainly not take it.
Unlike in October, when the message was he had decided to leave at the end of the season, now his thinking is something categorically different. He does not want to hear any offer from anyone at the moment and wants to stay at Real Madrid until the last day of his contract.
If he was to move it would only be on the condition that he would be earning more than he is currently earning at Real Madrid, because otherwise what would be the point of moving? And he knows nobody will offer that.
If you want to know where to find the real passion that Bale has for the game then you will see it when he is playing with his mates for Wales, which kind of flies in the face of the theory that he doesn't care and is only interested in the money.
The tragedy is that at the moment, in pure footballing terms, he is sacrificing what should be the greatest years of his life as he attempts to create a reality that he doesn't care about one of the main things he has strived for all his life to achieve.
A lot of clubs would have made a concerted effort to try to sort this out. Not Real Madrid, who have a clear idea and focus of where they are going and where they stand, and have indicated to both Bale and Rodriguez that they are not about to change their tactics, whatever it may cost them financially.
Their concern is that if they let Bale and Rodriguez win this battle then they will leave themselves open to a similar situation in the future.
What a mess. It is a battle of wills and it is a long way from finished.
Below is an article by Guillem Balague for the BBC.
What now for Gareth Bale?
While Zinedine Zidane is not generally regarded as being tactically the most sophisticated in the world, the trust and understanding he builds with all of his players is frequently cited as being second to none and the key to his success.
He understands them, he was one of them. He gives chances to anyone.
Gareth Bale would beg to differ.
It would be wrong to say their relationship has broken down because in reality it never even began to build up fully.
From the outset, they understand the profession and life very differently, and at the end of Zidane's first tenure in 2018, the distance had grown even though there was not a single incident to point out to when the bridges started breaking down.
Simply put, Zidane could not get to Bale and Bale started to sense it. And no words or conversations between his agent, Jonathan Barnett, and the club president Florentino Perez, a fan of Bale, could repair it.
Bale's relationship with Real gained further headlines in the last few days when he was photographed in the stands pretending to be asleep for a few seconds during his team-mates' game against Alaves and looking to the distance through a rolled-up piece of paper against Granada.
To try to understand what is going on with Bale's tense and tortuous spell at the club, we need to take a brief look at how we actually got to this point.
Before people start marking him as a failure, a predictable and boring national sport in Spanish media, think on this: Despite all his problems he is still the fifth highest goalscorer at Real Madrid in the 21st century - behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain - and has scored 105 goals in 251 games.
He has won one league title - soon to be two, probably, despite having played less of a part in proceedings this season - four Champions Leagues and against Liverpool in the 2018 final also scored what many believe to be the greatest ever Champions League final goal.
If that is failure, I'd be interested to see what success looks like.
But the sad reality is that it seems neither man came up to each other's expectations.
One of the main reasons Zidane left Real Madrid for the first time after the 2018 Champions league final was because of Bale. Put simply, the club - and specifically Perez - wanted to keep Bale and effectively turn him into the new Ronaldo, while Zidane most certainly didn't.
So Zidane, unable to get any of his points across to the president, left.
And when he returned in March 2019 one of the main conditions for his return was the departure of Bale.
A deal was brokered in the summer of 2019 that would take Bale to Chinese side Jiangsu Suning. No money would change hands and Real Madrid would, over the then six seasons Bale had played at the club, have amortised their €100m investment (£85.3m at the time).
A dispassionate, matter of fact Zidane announced the end of the Welshman's stay at the club in a press conference at a pre-season tournament in Texas: "It's nothing personal. The club is negotiating with whom he is going to play for. If he leaves tomorrow it would be best for everyone."
Bale was, and in fact still is, the highest paid player at the club but his wages at his new club would have made him the highest paid player in the history of the game. Real Madrid would save themselves the £35m plus they would have to pay him in wages for the remainder of his contract and Zidane would get what he wanted, namely Gareth Bale out of the Bernabeu.
Everyone's a winner - what could go wrong? Well just about everything actually.
Although Real Madrid wanted a fee for the player, Bale's people persuaded them that it was in the interest of everyone to let him go for free.
Everything was in place for a move, but suddenly news of a supposed offer of around €40m (£36m) for James Rodriguez came to the club's notice. How could selling Rodriguez for that sort of money, while simultaneously giving away Gareth Bale, be justified they thought?
Real Madrid immediately demanded a fee for the player and that was the end of that. From that moment on the Chinese club would not even accept any calls from any of the parties involved in the negotiation.
To add insult to injury the alleged offer for Rodriguez was later found to be fake. Rodriguez, another player who Zidane seems to have struggled with, is still at Real Madrid.
Bale now found himself stranded at a club where the manager had made it abundantly clear he was not wanted.
Something clicked in his mind at the point. Real Madrid had decided his future for him. For the time being at least, Bale was going nowhere.
Bale and his people did, however, make one last attempt in October to convince the club that a move was in the best interests of everyone, but was met by a wall of silence firstly from Zidane, whose response was to play him less and less, and then Perez who, having previously felt that Bale represented the new future of Real Madrid, effectively and unceremoniously kicked him into the long grass.
Also, there was no substantial offer to convince Bale to move away.
From the moment Bale started to receive the silent treatment his mind was made up; he knew what he was going to do.
If he wasn't going anywhere and if he wasn't going to get his chance to play, then his revenge would be to hang around until 30 June 2022 when his contract finally expires, by which time he will have received around 102 weeks' wages amounting to around £35.7m.
Years ago I spoke to Claude Makelele who told me when he was suffering at Chelsea: "I just look at my bank account and smile."
With a lifestyle that includes private jets, his own mini golf course in the 'back garden' of his home in Wales, and a luxurious house that he rents in Madrid, Gareth Bale is doing precisely the same thing.
He will stay and if they decide not to play him then that is their choice. Every now and then of course he will launch a shot across their bows.
Who can forget his "Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order" banner that he lifted after playing a Euro qualifier for his country back in November?
His behaviour on the stands during Real's last few games is basically the same attitude to his situation.
An apoplectic Ruben Jimenez from Marca spluttered: "Does Bale intend to laugh in the stands until 2022? Doesn't he have desire for football or revenge?" To which the answers are yes, no (not at the moment) and yes!
Against Granada, a game that needed new energy as the rivals were getting close to a dangerous draw, Zidane only used two subs and Bale did not even warm up.
He has played just five hours and 45 minute in La Liga in 2020 and when he does play he has made little difference, which gives Zidane the excuse to play him even less.
As things stand, if someone was to come to him and offer him a way back to the Premier League he would certainly not take it.
Unlike in October, when the message was he had decided to leave at the end of the season, now his thinking is something categorically different. He does not want to hear any offer from anyone at the moment and wants to stay at Real Madrid until the last day of his contract.
If he was to move it would only be on the condition that he would be earning more than he is currently earning at Real Madrid, because otherwise what would be the point of moving? And he knows nobody will offer that.
If you want to know where to find the real passion that Bale has for the game then you will see it when he is playing with his mates for Wales, which kind of flies in the face of the theory that he doesn't care and is only interested in the money.
The tragedy is that at the moment, in pure footballing terms, he is sacrificing what should be the greatest years of his life as he attempts to create a reality that he doesn't care about one of the main things he has strived for all his life to achieve.
A lot of clubs would have made a concerted effort to try to sort this out. Not Real Madrid, who have a clear idea and focus of where they are going and where they stand, and have indicated to both Bale and Rodriguez that they are not about to change their tactics, whatever it may cost them financially.
Their concern is that if they let Bale and Rodriguez win this battle then they will leave themselves open to a similar situation in the future.
What a mess. It is a battle of wills and it is a long way from finished.
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Re: " Gareth Bale - What now for him? "
Fri Jul 17, 2020 12:04 am
To me in that pic,he has that look on his face like"go on drop the tw@t" 
hardly that interested to my eyes,arms folded,not joining in throwing the manager (although there is little doubt he'd love nothing better!) In the air,look at that welsh pic,and you can see the joy on his face,big beaming smiles too 
another title on his cv I suppose. 
hardly that interested to my eyes,arms folded,not joining in throwing the manager (although there is little doubt he'd love nothing better!) In the air,look at that welsh pic,and you can see the joy on his face,big beaming smiles too another title on his cv I suppose.
Re: " Gareth Bale - What now for him? "
Fri Jul 17, 2020 10:41 am
'It just breaks my heart' - Gareth Bale's sorry and awkward Real Madrid title celebration saddens people
Los Blancos secured the league title on Thursday night, but what should have been scenes of euphoria for Gareth Bale were anything but
By Glen Williams
Saturday 17th July 2020
As Real Madrid's players were sent into euphoria after securing their 34th La Liga title, the stark contrast of Gareth Bale's reaction spoke volumes.
A 2-1 victory over Eibar was enough for Los Blancos to win the league, but Welsh outcast Bale was yet another unused substitute on Zinedine Zidane's bench.
The scenes of jubilation ensued following the final whistle, but it was plain to see that Bale, once a key component of Real's vaunted front line, felt utterly ostracised from the celebrations.
For those who have followed his situation in Spain, it has turned from strange to funny to downright saddening.
Bale, who on Thursday turned 31, still has oodles of talent running through that towering frame, but Zidane's insistence on keeping him sidelined has baffled football fans all around the world.
He has played a bit-part, really, in this season's romp to the title for the Spanish capital club, and it was evident for all to see that he felt toe-curlingly awkward during the trophy presentation.
As his Real Madrid team-mates hoisted Zidane aloft, as is tradition after securing the La Liga title, Bale stood metres away, arms firmly crossed.
The photo circulated around social media in minutes, as is now the norm, and supporters flocked to their keyboards to voice their opinion on an apparent rift which has now seemingly gripped the footballing world.
Just minutes later, more footage was shared of the celebrations, but Bale looked about as far away from enjoyment as is physically possible.
During one video, Real players are seen running around the pitch in celebration, while Bale, on the periphery of the group, is attempting to trip them up like a man who doesn't really know what to do with himself.
In every video, every photo, Bale placed himself right on the edge of the group and, in truth, that is a pretty good metaphor for where he is at the club at the moment.
He has endured a strained relationship with the Spanish press, who consistently lash out for him for seeming not to care about the club or its cause.
It has also been reported the Welshman's relationship with Zidane is said to be 'worse than ever' and it has become 'something personal' between the pair of them.
The fans appear to be split. Some believe it right that he moves on this summer, claiming his time at Real Madrid has run its course.
Others seem to think the club have treated him awfully and, if he so chooses, he should stay there and milk them for all they are worth, given his princely contract doesn't run out for another two years.
And while reactions from fans last night ranged wildly from fury to hilarity, the overarching feeling appeared to be one of sadness for a man who still has so much to give to the game.
The Wales star, who is still thought of incredibly highly by many in this corner of the world, appears to have turned to humour to deal with what can now only be dubbed an ugly situation.
He has played just 100 minutes of a possible 900 since football returned and is now well and truly frozen out of Zidane's plans.
The winger used a face mask to simulate a sleeping mask while being an unused substitute against Alaves two games ago and was seen laughing with his team-mates on the bench when the manager made the last of his five changes, leaving Bale on the bench.
What the next move is now is anyone's guess, but Bale's name is likely to be central to transfer stories this summer.
Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, has towed the party line by reiterating that his client is happy in Spain, while Zidane has kept his counsel in public, apart from last summer saying the club hoped 'he would leave soon'.
But a move to the Chinese Super League never came to fruition, the reasons for that are varied depending on what you read, but there did appear to be a last-minute u-turn from the club.
Bale has admitted that he would be open to a move to the MLS in the future, but whether they will be able to stump up the cash in the off season is unlikely.
Whatever happens, though, many want to see the situation resolved. Because Wales fans, like Bale's Real Madrid team-mates, are left scratching their head at the whole circus.
Los Blancos secured the league title on Thursday night, but what should have been scenes of euphoria for Gareth Bale were anything but
By Glen Williams
Saturday 17th July 2020
As Real Madrid's players were sent into euphoria after securing their 34th La Liga title, the stark contrast of Gareth Bale's reaction spoke volumes.
A 2-1 victory over Eibar was enough for Los Blancos to win the league, but Welsh outcast Bale was yet another unused substitute on Zinedine Zidane's bench.
The scenes of jubilation ensued following the final whistle, but it was plain to see that Bale, once a key component of Real's vaunted front line, felt utterly ostracised from the celebrations.
For those who have followed his situation in Spain, it has turned from strange to funny to downright saddening.
Bale, who on Thursday turned 31, still has oodles of talent running through that towering frame, but Zidane's insistence on keeping him sidelined has baffled football fans all around the world.
He has played a bit-part, really, in this season's romp to the title for the Spanish capital club, and it was evident for all to see that he felt toe-curlingly awkward during the trophy presentation.
As his Real Madrid team-mates hoisted Zidane aloft, as is tradition after securing the La Liga title, Bale stood metres away, arms firmly crossed.
The photo circulated around social media in minutes, as is now the norm, and supporters flocked to their keyboards to voice their opinion on an apparent rift which has now seemingly gripped the footballing world.
Just minutes later, more footage was shared of the celebrations, but Bale looked about as far away from enjoyment as is physically possible.
During one video, Real players are seen running around the pitch in celebration, while Bale, on the periphery of the group, is attempting to trip them up like a man who doesn't really know what to do with himself.
In every video, every photo, Bale placed himself right on the edge of the group and, in truth, that is a pretty good metaphor for where he is at the club at the moment.
He has endured a strained relationship with the Spanish press, who consistently lash out for him for seeming not to care about the club or its cause.
It has also been reported the Welshman's relationship with Zidane is said to be 'worse than ever' and it has become 'something personal' between the pair of them.
The fans appear to be split. Some believe it right that he moves on this summer, claiming his time at Real Madrid has run its course.
Others seem to think the club have treated him awfully and, if he so chooses, he should stay there and milk them for all they are worth, given his princely contract doesn't run out for another two years.
And while reactions from fans last night ranged wildly from fury to hilarity, the overarching feeling appeared to be one of sadness for a man who still has so much to give to the game.
The Wales star, who is still thought of incredibly highly by many in this corner of the world, appears to have turned to humour to deal with what can now only be dubbed an ugly situation.
He has played just 100 minutes of a possible 900 since football returned and is now well and truly frozen out of Zidane's plans.
The winger used a face mask to simulate a sleeping mask while being an unused substitute against Alaves two games ago and was seen laughing with his team-mates on the bench when the manager made the last of his five changes, leaving Bale on the bench.
What the next move is now is anyone's guess, but Bale's name is likely to be central to transfer stories this summer.
Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, has towed the party line by reiterating that his client is happy in Spain, while Zidane has kept his counsel in public, apart from last summer saying the club hoped 'he would leave soon'.
But a move to the Chinese Super League never came to fruition, the reasons for that are varied depending on what you read, but there did appear to be a last-minute u-turn from the club.
Bale has admitted that he would be open to a move to the MLS in the future, but whether they will be able to stump up the cash in the off season is unlikely.
Whatever happens, though, many want to see the situation resolved. Because Wales fans, like Bale's Real Madrid team-mates, are left scratching their head at the whole circus.
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Re: " Gareth Bale - What now for him? "
Fri Jul 17, 2020 8:32 pm
Unless he agrees to a wage drop he will be sat on hi arse hardly playing for 2 more years and thus will have wasted the last 3 “prime” years of his career. Will be intresting to see if he actually happy enough to do that rather than take a big wage drop and move to a club who will play him.
Re: " Gareth Bale - What now for him? "
Sat Jul 18, 2020 8:51 am
I like him dont get me wrong ,but surely his best option would be to take a wage drop and play football again. Most clubs in europe will go in for him, so he would hardly be on pennies.
Re: " Gareth Bale - What now for him? "
Sat Jul 18, 2020 3:35 pm
Get promotion, take a wage cut and come home!
Re: " Gareth Bale - What now for him? "
Sat Jul 18, 2020 3:53 pm
englishbluebird wrote:I like him dont get me wrong ,but surely his best option would be to take a wage drop and play football again. Most clubs in europe will go in for him, so he would hardly be on pennies.
No doubt he would but why should he?
Re: " Gareth Bale - What now for him? "
Sat Jul 18, 2020 11:12 pm
For his sake I hope Real don't mess him around any more if someone comes in with a serious bid. The fiasco with the Chinese team with Real demanding a fee last minute and now apparently asking £150M for him, which no-one is going to pay. Karma would be a transfer to Atletico Madrid and he scores a hat trick against Real next season.
Re: " Gareth Bale - What now for him? "
Sun Jul 19, 2020 3:49 am
englishbluebird wrote:I like him dont get me wrong ,but surely his best option would be to take a wage drop and play football again. Most clubs in europe will go in for him, so he would hardly be on pennies.
i dont see its down to him taking a pay cut, its down to Real to give him a free transfer...
Re: " Gareth Bale - What now for him? "
Sun Jul 19, 2020 1:38 pm
Real got greedy on his move to China going back on their agreement with him and other club... so real need to bite bullet and let him go for free? It's not upto bale to do anything regarding a move but what is obvious he will need to take substantial pay cut to be able go anywhere unless he goes on a free and gets
a fat signing on fee...
Ps dropped from squad for last game
a fat signing on fee...
Ps dropped from squad for last game