Gareth Bale looked focused and hungry as he adjusted his shirt. There were just under 61 minutes on the clock at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv. The fourth official lifted his board. On: number 11. Off: number 22 (Isco). What came next was historic. Within two minutes, the Welshman had hit a perfectly weighted, wonderful overhead kick into the corner to put Real Madrid in front against Liverpool. Later, he set up Karim Benzema for a super scoring chance with a deft cross off the outside of his left boot. Then he scored again, a long-range effort which Loris Karius should have held. No matter, he had won Los Blancos a 13th European Cup. Almost single-handedly. Man of the Match. Hero. Icon. The perfect ending to his Real Madrid career.
Except it wasn’t the ending. Four years have passed since that memorable night in Ukraine and on Saturday, Bale’s Real Madrid career really will end with a Champions League final against Liverpool. But things are quite different now.
Bale had hinted after the 2018 final that he might leave Real Madrid that summer. Instead, Cristiano Ronaldo left and that meant he would stay. There was hope he might step into the sizable shoes of the club’s greatest goalscorer, but injuries interrupted him once more in a desperate season under Julen Lopetegui. And it did not take long for the Madrid media to bite back. In the space of a few months, the Welshman had gone from saviour to pariah.
Not much has improved since. Madrid blocked Bale’s exit to China in the summer of 2019 and in hindsight, that was a massive mistake. He remains Real Madrid’s highest-paid player and those wages, his age and injury record have put off possible suitors. Under contract - signed in happier times at the Santiago Bernabeu - until 2022, he has only left for a single season at former club Tottenham - and Real still had to pay part of his salary.
Either side of that spell in north London, he has won two LaLiga titles in the last three years at Real Madrid, but barely participated in either. In 2019-20, his gestures in the empty stands were more notable than his actions on the pitch as he was seldom selected by Zinedine Zidane. Under Carlo Ancelotti, he was given another chance this term but faded again into obscurity and missed the team’s title celebrations with a back spasm. On Sunday, in what should have been his farewell at the Santiago Bernabeu, he was absent again. “He didn’t feel right,” Ancelotti said. “He should be in Paris.”
But hope of more glory this time seems slim. Bale is way down the pecking order at Real Madrid these days. In Los Blancos’ rollercoaster ride to the Champions League final, he has hardly been seen. The Welshman has been on the pitch for just seven minutes of the team’s European campaign: three against PSG in Paris, four versus Chelsea in London. Even with five substitutes permitted (six if there is extra time) and comebacks needed in each round, Ancelotti has looked elsewhere for inspiration.
All the while, Bale has remained a force of nature for Wales. The 32-year-old has netted only once for Real Madrid in 2021-22, but hit two world-class strikes for his national team in their World Cup play-off against Austria in March. That showed fans of the Spanish side that the talent is intact, though it did not help the theories that he only cares about playing for his country.
There is perhaps some truth in that. The famous flag celebration after qualification for Euro 2020 was not Bale’s idea, but it upset Real and also the fans. Much of the Madrid media was against him already and it only served to make matters much worse. ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order,’ it read. And that is probably accurate now, although the player’s perceived indifference at club level is also likely a result of the constant criticism he has received in Spain - much of it vicious, a lot of it unfair.
Bale has not really helped himself in that respect. He has never truly told his side of the story, either. Instead, it is left to his agent Jonathan Barnett to fight his corner with provocative and sometimes clumsy quotes hitting out at the club, president Florentino Perez and Zidane which have only added fuel to the fire.
There are, of course, many layers to this story. In the UK and especially in Wales, many football fans, ex-players and pundits cannot understand the way Bale has been treated. After all, he has helped Real Madrid win four Champions League finals (scoring three goals in those), he hit a wonderful winner against Barcelona in a Copa del Rey final and he has more than 100 goals for Los Blancos in total. He has scaled incredible heights and been a pivotal player for the world’s biggest club.
All of that is true. But to fully comprehend Bale’s situation, it is also necessary to understand Real Madrid. Past glories count for little at the Santiago Bernabeu. And fragments of greatness are not enough. These fans have not only booed Bale. They have whistled Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Alfredo Di Stefano and many more of their legends. Bale is deemed to have disrespected the club, while he has had the powerful Madrid media and many of the supporters on his back - and it has all turned toxic.
Over time, perceptions may change. When players leave, it is usually their highs which are recalled. The memorable moments. Bale has had many of those. By achievements alone, he is a Real Madrid legend. Or he should be. But the lows have also been plenty and there has been anger at how he has continued to pick up his huge wages while seemingly contributing little, looking disengaged and disinterested, before always appearing to find fitness and motivation just in time for the important dates with Wales, and reportedly hampering the club’s ability to bring in other targets - such as Kylian Mbappe from Monaco in 2018.
It would be nice to think that on Saturday, Bale will be able to finish on a high note. To play his part in another epic triumph, as he did in Kyiv four years ago. Redemption once again, a proper send-off, a more fitting finale to his career in Spain. Just like in 2018. That would indeed be the perfect script. The reality, though, is that even if Real Madrid do bring home their 14th European Cup this weekend, he is likely to be a peripheral figure this time around. And almost everyone will be happy to see him leave.
*18+ | BeGambleAware
