AT any given time, Gareth Bale is always on the brink of finally being pushed out the Real Madrid exit door, at least according to the press corps who have made the Welshman’s future their most fruitful beat over the past couple seasons. The Madrid soccer-sphere never stops turning, but nothing makes it spin quicker than some conjecture over Bale’s place at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The 30-year-old’s troubles in the Spanish capital have been well-documented. Bale has become Real Madrid’s pantomime villain and a peripheral figure in Zinedine Zidane’s squad. Once seen as Los Blancos’ natural heir to Cristiano Ronaldo, the face of the club’s future, Bale is now unwanted and unloved.
And yet Real Madrid still need the Welshman, particularly with Eden Hazard now sidelined again with yet another injury. The Belgian has only managed 15 appearances since making the €100 million move in the summer and so Zidane is already accustomed to not being able to call upon the former Chelsea attacker. Nonetheless, Hazard’s latest injury robs Zidane of an option he could certainly use as the season intensifies.
Even without Hazard Real Madrid boast one of the strongest attacking lines in the European game. Rodrygo has become a first team regular since arriving from Santos in the summer while Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid’s other young Brazilian winger, has recovered his form after a difficult first half of the season. The pair’s flair and exuberance has quickly made them fans favourites.
Gareth Bale of those big nights needed tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/E9ftIOqv0h
— ℤ. (@BabaFooka_) February 25, 2020
Bale, of course, is hardly the darling of the Santiago Bernabeu crowd, but his big game mentality is still something Real Madrid require. This week could define their entire season, with Manchester City first visiting in the Champions League before Barcelona arrive in the capital for Sunday’s Clasico, and the Welsh winger could play a key role.
This is a player who has scored three times in two Champions League finals and in Copa del Rey final against Barcelona. There is something about the big occasion that brings the best out of Bale even now that he is almost certainly living on borrowed time at the Santiago Bernabeu. Having been in and out of the team all season, he could be the one to get Real Madrid through their most testing week so far.
Since openly hawking Bale last summer, Zidane has kept a consistent line on Bale, insisting that his relationship with the Welshman remains a good one despite so many reports to the contrary. “The problem here is that there are some people that want me to have a problem with Gareth. That is simply not the case, and it never has been,” the Frenchman recently said. “He has not played in the last three games, but he performed well for 70 minutes today. We have many players here and it is not easy to balance that. Gareth is an important player here and he will continue to play this season.”
It’s possible that Isco could start on the right side of Real Madrid’s front three against City on Wednesday night. He too has been the subject of much speculation over his future at the club. Indeed, Isco had barely played before the Champions League group stage game at home to Paris Saint-Germain at the end of November. Since then, he has rediscovered his groove.
Isco, however, is a central playmaker by trade. Even when he is deployed out on the right wing, his natural tendency is to drive through the middle. It can sometimes congest Real Madrid’s attacking play and against Man City there will be space in behind the full backs to exploit. Bale is the natural choice to start on Wednesday. After everything, the Welshman is still needed, if not appreciated.
