Why Real Madrid Would Not Benefit from Selling Gareth Bale It has been a rocky week for Gareth Bales Spanish adventure. Last weekend he thumped in a stunning free-kick in the 3-0 win against Espanyol, Real Madrids only win of the calendar year so far, but it was something else that happened during the game which had Los Blancos fans talking. Isco threaded a pass through for Bale in the 72nd minute and the galloping Welshman collected the ball for a clean run on goal. As any normal forward-thinking player would do—especially one who has a €100 million noose around his neck—he took a shot. His only mistake was that he missed. To his left, video footage and photographers caught Cristiano Ronaldo looking like a very, very angry man. The Portuguese forward let out a string of expletives—although the Spanish term he used wasnt anything particularly out of the ordinary—and the Bernabeu crowd responded with whistles and jeers in the direction of their No. 11. A week previously, Bale had passed up the opportunity to pass to Karim Benzema in a similar situation as Madrids 22-game winning run came to an end against Valencia, leading to the exaggerated conclusion that hes a little bit greedy. Carlo Ancelotti, per the Telegraph , had to play down talk that there is any problem between the players after the Espanyol game: The fans wanted [Bale] to pass to Cristiano but forwards are determined to score when they are through on the goalkeeper. Generosity is very important and if someone is being selfish we will address it. The supporters are very demanding when it comes to important players and Bale is one of those. We shouldnt blow this out of proportion. It is one moment in a football game. Relations between them [Bale and Ronaldo] and everyone else are very good. We are all pursuing the same goal which is to lift Real Madrid as high as possible. Ballon dOr winner Ronaldo also urged his sides fans to back Bale. The people will be nice with him and they should be nice, the Portuguese star said, per the BBC. Things with Gaz are normal. They [fans] know that Gaz is a very important player for us, a key player. Even AS journalist Juanma Trueba sympathised with Bale, as translated in Sid Lowe’s Guardian column: Bale probably feels stupefaction at the Latin character. He was whistled during one of his most complete games. The first goal was born with a long, fabulous pass from him, like a golf swing. He scored the second with an extraordinary free-kick. And between them there were gallops, good movement, and measured crosses, even with his right foot. Not enough, according to part of the Bernabeu. However, despite all the niceties, Spanish newspaper Sport has suggested several media outlets believe Ronaldo was again angry with Bales selfishness after the 2-2 draw with Atletico—even though the former Tottenham man set up Madrids No. 7 for the equaliser. It has all added to the smoke which has Bale linked with a return to England, with the Telegraph saying Manchester United would pay €150m for the 25-year-old. Real Madrid would not benefit from selling him now, though. Data on Transfermarkt reveals that he has contributed to 59 goals in 70 appearances since he arrived in the Spanish capital—scoring 34, which is just under one every two matches, and creating 25 more. Hes not been a flat-track bully, either, with eight goals and five assists coming in his 17 Champions League appearances. Goals have also flowed in three of the four one-legged finals he has featured in: The moment when he motored past Barcelonas Marc Bartra in the Copa del Rey final at the Mestalla last season will be remembered for a long time, while he also scored Madrids go-ahead goal in the Champions League final in Lisbon. More recently, he was on target as Los Blancos lifted the Club World Cup in Morocco. But more than what he has already done, Madrid need to be careful not to lose what he is yet to do. Bale doesnt turn 26 until July and its obvious that his best years lie ahead of him—just look at how Ronaldo has improved year on year since he checked in from Manchester United in 2009. Ronaldo is showing no signs of slowing down, but he will turn 30 next month. If Bales best is still to come, there could be an argument made that Ronaldo will struggle to improve on the standards he is setting at the moment. It would perhaps be strange if Bale went through his whole Madrid career without encountering the fans wrath. Zinedine Zidane was even a target once, and Benzema hasnt escaped their attention in recent seasons. It was evident when he signed for the club that Bale was delighted to be there. He wont want to leave and Madrid would regret ushering him out the door so quickly. from Bleacher Report - Front Page ift.tt/1BHRE3x ift.tt/eA8V8J
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 13:52:17 +0000
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