Gareth Bale was Real Madrid’s hero in Kiev last May. The Welsh winger scored twice to give Real Madrid their 13th Champions League title. Bale claimed he was ready to step up and become the man at the Santiago Bernabeu following the game. Yet, 10 months on, Bale has been nothing but a disappointment for Los Blancos.
Things have got so bad for Bale that he was replaced just over the hour-mark in Saturday’s El Clasico against Barcelona. Fans jeered the Welshman unmercifully and instead of sitting on the bench until the end of the match, Bale went to the dressing room, changed, and left the stadium.
According to reports in Spain, a distance has grown between Bale and his teammates. In hindsight, it is easy to see those tension began back in Kiev when Bale gave a post-match interview stating his interest in looking for football elsewhere.
Following the match, Real Madrid lost two far more important pieces to their puzzle than Bale. Manager Zinedine Zidane, who Bale had a fractured relationship with, stepped down and the club sold Cristiano Ronaldo. It is easy to believe Real Madrid president Florentino Perez saw Bale’s performance in the Champions League Final and thought the club could survive with the Welshman as its focal point. That thinking was entirely wrong.
The winger’s play benefitted greatly from Ronaldo just as everyone else in the team did. In addition, Bale was pushed by Zidane and his reluctance to pick the player from the start of matches.
Bale is on pace for his worst La Liga goals and assists return since moving to Real Madrid in 2013. He has tallied just seven goals and three assists in 21 games. His seven-goal total currently matches his 2016-17 season, but that term saw Bale miss a lot of the season due to injury. Bale has played his fewest La Liga minutes for Real Madrid with just over 1,300 minutes being accumulated.
There is nothing left for Bale to accomplish at Real Madrid. Although he has become a significant member of the team and has enjoyed life in Spain, his time there looks to be over. Manchester United have long been linked with a move for the winger. But with their purse strings expected to be tight at Old Trafford this summer, it is questionable whether he will be targeted.
Perhaps the best solution would be Chelsea. Real Madrid have had their eyes on Eden Hazard for some time. A swap for the Belgian could be on the cards with Bale adding plenty of goalscoring capabilities at Stamford Bridge.
Real Madrid are a faded force. Still capable of finishing in the top four of La Liga, the Champions League may be a different story this season. The club needs an overhaul with several players moved on after this term. Bale is one of those players that needs to be moved on for both the club’s and player’s sake.