Gareth Bale has been having trouble fitting in with Real Madrid and things seem to be getting worse. It all started back in January when he failed to give a pass to Cristiano Ronaldo in a game against Espanyol FC. Now, after a loss to FC Barcelona this past Sunday at El Clasico, fans were not too happy with Bale due to his lack of performance during the game. He was strong in the first half, but his presence diminished in the second. That was only the beginning for the Welshman. Bale’s luck was not with him on Sunday as he was denied a goal on an offsides call and was beaten by Jordi Alba on the right flank, a player who he should physically beat. Only seven passes were completed in the second half, when Xavi Hernandez completed 10 passes in the first 10 minutes of his appearance in the second half. Bale has been criticized for being lazy during the games and his presence was ignored by a Spanish paper, acting as if he did not not exist and did not give him a player rating.
After the match against FC Barcelona Diario AS, a Spanish newspaper, published a survey asking if Gareth Bale should be dropped from the starting XI or even sold to another club. 68.3% of the fans agreed with this statement. Marca, a newspaper from Spain, also went out to say the Florentino Perez spent £100 million on a player that was worth only £20 million. It came down to the point where Bale’s car was vandalized in the early hours of Monday morning.
With the fans discontent with Bale, it probably has him questioning if he did the right decision to go to Los Blancos over Manchester United. Bale was linked to both teams back in the summer of 2013 when Man United offered £100 million to the Hotspurs but his heart was set on Real Madrid, since it was his dream to play for the Spanish club. He joined Real Madrid in 2013 on a fee around £80 million and had a slow start due to an injury but then found his form later on in the second part of the 2013/14 season. He had been in great form this season and had found the chemistry with Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo has also shown disappointment towards his teammate when Bale scored for the first time in 340 minutes in a 2-0 win against Levante earlier this month. His reactions clearly showed that there was only room for one player to shine, leaving no room for Bale.
Since this drama has started, Bale has been linked to Manchester United, Chelsea FC and Manchester City and fans have been pleading to bring the Welshman back to the Premier League since it shows that there is no love for him in Madrid. Only time will tell us what will happen with Bale and if he is dropped or exits Real Madrid this summer. Fans may soon realize what they lost and will wish that they kept faith in him.
Photo by: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images
