What’s the story?
Gareth Bale had a meeting with Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez after the game against Espanyol on Saturday, according to Spanish outlet Dairio Gol. The report further said that Gareth Bale discussed his role in the Real Madrid squad, since he is apparently fed up with being in Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow.
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The report further stated that with Ronaldo visibly on the wane, Bale wants an equal shot at personal accolades at Real Madrid. Florentino Perez is apparently willing to grant Bale his wish as well.
In case you didn’t know...
Bale came back to the Real Madrid squad for the game against Espanyol and scored the goal that eventually killed the game for the Madrid giants. The Wales international has been absent from the Real Madrid starting lineup for long intervals this season with injuries. The former Tottenham winger has only made 17 appearances this season.
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Ronaldo, on the other hand, has been very close to his usual high standards after starting the season poorly with the Madrid giants. The 32-year-old has scored 24 goals and has 10 assists from 37 appearances in all competitions.
The heart of the matter
Ronaldo has been the crown jewel of Real Madrid’s kingdom for a long time now, and rightly so. The former Manchester United man has often got the benefit of the team being built around him, and he is often the person to take all the accolades when Real Madrid do something special.
Bale undoubtedly is a very special player and would be the leading man in any other team in the world. But with Ronaldo on the supposed downward slope, Bale being 27 years old and with his best years ahead of him, he is more than capable of taking on the mantle from the Portuguese superstar.
What’s next?
It’s a difficult situation that Florentino Perez and perhaps Zinedine Zidane have to deal with, with Bale looking for a new leading role in the team. The matter would probably be exacerbated because of Ronaldo’s apparent influence in the Madrid dressing room.
The other worrying thing about the situation is that Bale went over the manager to the president, which is not something any club with the size and structure of Real Madrid should expect from their players.
Sportskeeda’s take
With the ego and self-belief that Ronaldo has, it will be tough to ask him to play second fiddle behind anyone. With his performances becoming better as the season goes on, no one in the right mind would change things at Real.
Also, the thought of Bale having a meeting with the president of Real Madrid about his colleague Cristiano somehow doesn’t sound like him. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.
