Surely even Gareth Bale himself recognises the irony of his current scoring streak. For years, the Welshman has been linked with a departure from Real Madrid, but just as he looks to be edging closer and closer to the Santiago Bernabeu exit door the 28-year-old has found his best vein of form during his time at the Spanish club.
By scoring against Villarreal at the weekend, Bale netted for the fourth successive La Liga game, his best run as a Real Madrid player. Despite suffering for much of the season with injury, switching in and out of the team even when fit, Bale finished as his team’s second top scorer in the league, netting 16 times in just 20 starts. And this has supposedly been a poor season for the former Spurs winger.
Bale has timed his return to form well, with the Champions League final against Liverpool looming this weekend. The general consensus is that when it comes to the biggest games against the best teams, there’s one place up for grabs in Zidane’s lineup. A few weeks ago, it seemed like that the Real Madrid boss would stick with either Marco Asensio or Lucas Vazquez, but Bale’s recent form has changed the dynamic.
Against Villarreal on Saturday, Zidane used Bale alongside Ronaldo as an orthodox front two, with Isco in behind the pair. Karim Benzema will surely start in Kiev, with the Frenchman often bringing the best out of Ronaldo, and so Bale could be used as the man to link up the lines of midfield and attack, bringing a drive and pace to Real Madrid’s play in the final third.
Number 6️⃣ is a stunner as Gareth Bale shows off some unbelievable technique 😍
In recent years, Bale has become a target for many of his own fans. Benzema might have taken the brunt of the frustration from the supporters that fill the Santiago Bernabeu this season, but Bale has consistently been their scapegoat for the past 18 months, at least. This is evident in the whistling that has greeted the Welshman more than once this season.
But for all his shortcomings, Bale is still an extremely productive football player. When he takes to the pitch, he tends to contribute something, even when he doesn’t play all that well. This is encapsulated in his recent performances, which have at the very least given Zidane something to think about.
Technically, Bale has already decided a Champions League final. It was his goal in extra time that saw Real Madrid take the lead over Atletico Madrid in the 2013/14 final, a lead from which they never looked back. Now, with his Real career at a crossroads, Bale could potentially decide another Champions League final.
