Special report: What really happened between Gareth Bale and Real Madrid?

[ASFN Admin]

By the end, the only bond between Gareth Bale and Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid was one of mutual contempt. The pair had always had a fractious relationship, but when Bale and Zidane could not even bring themselves to say a cursory 'good morning' to each other at Real's sprawling training complex in Valdebebas, it was clear to all parties that Bale's time at the club was at an end. It was about the same time that Tottenham Hotspur sensed an opportunity to bring Bale back to the Premier League. For nearly two years, the signing was a personal project for Daniel Levy, the Spurs chairman, and having finally realised it last month, Bale is now in line to make his second 'debut' for the club this Sunday against West Ham. For Bale, the move represents a liberation from the stifling atmosphere of Madrid, where his relationship with Zidane and sections of the Real fanbase had grown toxic. Bale was worn down by all the politics, the PR spin and hysterical headlines which accompanied his every move in Spain. They were repeated so often as to become cliched: he was more interested in playing golf than football, he had not bothered to learn the language, he was despised by many of his team-mates. When he donated €500,000 to hospitals in Madrid, as the city first became gripped by the Covid-19 pandemic, it barely merited a mention in the country where he had played for the last seven years. The supposed golf fixation became almost an in-joke, a point underlined by the 'Wales, Golf, Madrid. In that order' flag with which he danced around the pitch when Wales secured their spot at Euro 2020.

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