Real Madrid produced one of their best games of the season in their 3-0 triumph over Juventus in the Quarter-Final first leg draw in Turin. And while Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal was one for the history books, there was one man in the squad who wasn’t bemused by the spectacular effort.
Gareth Bale was not so surprised as his fellow Madrid members elated in joy after Ronaldo’s overhead kick. Video grabs show Gareth Bale straight-faced even though his fellow mates were excited in disbelief.
Reports suggest that Gareth Bale was initially unhappy with Zidane’s squad selection, that left him out of the playing XI, preferring Isco over Welsh.
The Spaniard recently came out lashing Zidane over keeping confidence in him, which Zidane finally decided to show as he started Isco for this game. However, this was to be done at the expense of Gareth Bale.
More than this, although Gareth Bale started on the bench, he remained an unused substitute in the game, with Zidane opting for Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio over him.
Persistent injuries since his then world record transfer fee have hampered Gareth Bale’s progress into a consistent top-quality player. And because of this reason, Zidane has preferred to develop Vazquez and Asensio at the wing role.
Bale has featured in just 36 minutes of UEFA Champions League football over the two last-16 fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain and did not even make it off the bench against Juventus – despite being fully fit.
The Wales all-time record scorer grabbed a brace and played 90 minutes in La Liga last week during the 3-0 victory over Las Palmas, but that wasn’t enough to convince his manager for a cameo at the Juventus Stadium.
This was apparently the last straw in Bale’s relationship with Zidane, as the winger has made up his mind to secure a move back to Premier League.
Manchester United lead the race for Bale, as they have already shown interest in Kroos, Modric and Isco. In his five seasons at the Bernabeu, Bale has raked up 81 goals and registered 58 assists in 180 games.
