Does Gareth Bale still have a future at Real Madrid?
By Jake Cole
Gareth Bale become the world’s most expensive footballer in 2013 when he made his move to Real Madrid, but, it hasn’t all been a walk in the park for the Welshman.
His move to Real Madrid was covered all over the world and his every move was clocked by the media as he was expected to become the world’s most expensive player. However, since that move in 2013 it hasn’t all gone to plan and he hasn’t progressed as much as everyone thought he would. Now two and a half years down the line, was Bale really worth the money Real Madrid paid to Tottenham Hotspur for him?
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It was a dream come true for Bale but, he has struggled to build up some consistency due to injuries and poor form. He ha scored some great goals and important goals at Madrid and of course, he has progressed into a better player from his Tottenham days, however, is he progressing too slowly for the quick-firing Real Madrid?
We all know too well that if you aren’t an instant hit at Madrid, then you are in line for a quick exit, just as manager Rafa Benitez found out this season. It has been said in the media that the owners are becoming inpatient with Bale and his increasing injury problems, to be fair with them they did fork out a huge sum of money for him and they didn’t expect him to spend a lot of time on the sidelines.
His goals won Real Madrid the Champions League and Copa Del Rey in his first season in Spain and everyone thought he would then go onto surpass Ronaldo as Madrid’s main man. However, this wasn’t the case and Bale has found goals hard to come by and irregular during his next season and the first half of this current season. A lot of injuries have put Bale on the sidelines and therefore down the pecking order and losing his place in the starting 11.
However, Bale didn’t have the greatest starts to his Tottenham career, he scored a couple of important goals, including one against their arch rivals Arsenal, in his first few games for the club. Unfortunately he quickly got injured and drifted off. He is also famously known with Tottenham fans for his run in the Tottenham team that saw them fail to win a game for a rather long time when Bale had played. The money Tottenham paid soon looked worthwhile after he quickly become the best player in the Premier League. So could this be the same sort of process for him at Madrid or is the challenge to big for him?
If Real Madrid lose patience with Bale, I find it very hard to believe that there won’t be a whole line of clubs waiting for his signature. After their current season his former club Tottenham will apparently have the funds to get him back, if they win the title. Bale has always said he might be back at Tottenham one day, so that could be sooner than expected if Real Madrid don’t have some patience with his ability.
After looking back at his Tottenham career, Real Madrid should really have some patience with Bale and give him time to settle in and prove he is worth every penny they paid for him back in 2013. If they do, which personally I think they would be stupid to get rid of him, he could be a star for them in years to come.
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Does he have a future at Madrid? I think yes, because he has proven he is up there with the best in the world and if he can stay fit he will show how good he can be. However, with their past, Madrid could lose patience with him very soon and he could be shown the exit door.