Gareth Bale

[ClaphamFox]

Bale's situation at Real Madrid has fascinated me for a while. Zidane cannot stand him and doesn't want him, and the club president Florentino Perez (who was previously a big fan of Bale) now won't even speak to him. Bale doesn't especially want to be there but won't leave unless he's offered more money, which he knows won't be. In revenge for what he perceives as his poor treatment by the club, he has apparently decided to stay until his contract runs out in the summer of 2022, extracting every last penny he can out of them. And there's nothing they can do about it. Just a weird, weird situation..

 

Bale and Madrid

[StanSP]

He was treated quite poorly from the start wasn't he?

 

I'm not that bothered by it. Might be seen as a mercenary but the way Zidane has treated him, and then the club president, almost makes me enjoy a player giving it back and taking the piss by rinsing them of their money . 

 

The golf stuff is amusing.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

WELSH WINSTON BOGARDE, YOURE JUST A WELSH WINSTON BOOOOOOGARDE

 

Not like Real Madrid can't afford it and Bale is under no obligation to move. Fair play to him for winding them up in the process imo.

[Izzy]

£350k per week to live in Madrid, piss around at games and play golf all day. Living the dream.

 

Good lad 

[joachim1965]

Gerrimiiiiiinnnn.

[Finnegan]

Ngl, it's pretty ****ing disgusting the way he's been treated. If Dortmund treated Sancho this way the press over here would be going apoplectic.

 

He's been fighting a losing battle since he first arrived because Marca saw him as Perez' man and Marca hated Perez. Marca has more power to sway opinion in Spanish football than the Sun and Sky do over here and that's saying something, I mean how many muppets do we all know that get their football opinions from what top-four biased rubbish they hear on telly?

 

So right off the bat he's always fighting a losing battle with fans for public opinion. They particularly like to pick on him for being what they see as a fairly generic Brit abroad, he doesn't speak great Spanish (because Aguero's English is superb?), he doesn't socialise a great deal with his team mates (Riyad and Kante used pretty much never hang out with the rest of the squad) and he enjoys golf, not something Spanish footballers typically enjoy. That's pretty much it.

 

As for Zidane, just retarded. The guy's a fraud of a manager, Ronaldo carries them to their Champions League wins, he's been absolutely abysmal in the majority of league season he's managed at Madrid, he's tactically inept, he doesn't know how to utilise his players and he's decided that he doesn't want to work with probably, on his day, still the best outright winger in the world? I mean. What?

 

The fact they finally agreed to sell him earlier in the year and then pulled the plug at the last minute is just the icing on the cake. I still reckon Bale WILL move if they get an offer though, we've qualified for next summer and I don't think he'll want to go in to his last major summer tournament having basically not played for another whole year. I just think it's a bargaining position at the moment. 

[EastAnglianFox]

Mad how Real fans seem to class him as useless and a failure when in 220 games he's scored about 100 goals with around 50 odd assists.

[Samilktray]

He’s taking the piss out of the biggest football club in the world and I am here for it

 

 

[Leicester_Loyal]

Fair play to the lad, they've been ***** to him for years and he's played superb for them when called upon, his stats are excellent.

[Soar Fox]

Good on him, they gave him the contract and he’s perfectly entitled to see it out. Not his problem if they don’t want to play him. 

[spacemunky]

Would take him at Notts. Slight pay cut though.

[ozleicester]

good on him for taking the piss.. but geebus, imagine having that much talent and not getting to play.

I assume he still does all the training, works hard, looks fit.. but doesnt get to play games.... fvck that, take a pay cut and go enjoy your football lad, you'll miss it when its gone

[Fox in the North]

Just want him to whip out a mini golf set when he’s next on the bench 

[ealingfox]

Dont blame him at all, just wonder why they still have him come in to training and matches? Wouldn't it be better for Real if he was sat at home watching the cheques come in rather than mugging them off on camera so much? They're losing the same money either way.

[Kilworthfox]

Having read the situation, he would likely be up for loan at a discounted wage, as Real will ideally want to get rid.

 

Its sad that 2 greats of football cant seem to come together, but.... es lo que ahi.

[Izzy]

 

 

[Guest Manini]

Love Bale, seems like a good guy and a top WUM. He’s some golfer as well plays off about 5 or 6. 

[Finnegan]

1 hour ago, Manini said:

some golfer as well plays off about 5 or 6. 

 

I mean, he gets a lot of practice. 

[Raj]

3 hours ago, Izzy said:

 

 

That's  not real surely?

Sorry if I'm being dim!!!

[don_danbury]

7 minutes ago, Raj said:

That's  not real surely?

Sorry if I'm being dim!!!

course it is. bale hates the guy

[Guest Manini]

25 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

I mean, he gets a lot of practice. 

Golf course in his back garden hasn’t he I think? He gets paid a footballers wage to play golf all day and stay in shape at training. Some might say he has a perfect life, but I imagine he’d prefer to be playing football every week! 

[shailen]

He's stepped up in the big moments for them whilst he's been at Madrid and doesn't get enough credit. Copa Del Rey final vs Barcelona and the Champions league final vs Liverpool stick out. However he'll always be compared to Ronaldo stats wise which is why I think the fans initially questioned his ability. 

 

Saying that he should be professional enough to at least not be seen actively not supporting the team. He's getting paid £350k a week and has a contract with the club. He has every right to run his contract down, but he's risking his legacy, as he could well have been one of the greatest players in modern history if he fulfilled his legacy. 

[boots60]

The attitude of Bale to Real & the attitude of Real to Bale sums up everything that is wrong with modern football.

 

£350,000 per week to do feck all. i despair.

[Footballwipe]

I mean I'd 100% understand Gareth Bale's lack of motivation.

 

He's won two Spanish league titles, four Champions League titles, Super Cups, World Club Cups, scored in critical, crucial games, been a world record transfer and still can't be treated with respect. Let us also not forget him being the leading man in his national team's first major tournament in many years and getting to a semi.

 

So if I was him, I'd happily sit at home, gleaning my medals, looking back at the amazing accomplishments I've had whilst trousering an inordinate sum of money every week from the club that wants you out, waiting for them to offer to buy him out or let the contract run down.

 

What else can the man achieve in football, really?

[The Horse's Mouth]

You've got to admire the hustle and rustle. End of the day if you're Perez you're going to back Zidane with his achievements, Bale was always treated badly by the media when he was still highly rated on the team sheet. I do hate people who say he should just rip his contract up and leave without a penny. 

 He probably goes back to spurs when his deal expires.