Gareth Bale is preparing to return to Tottenham Hotspur after 7 years full of titles with Real Madrid, but in the Spanish capital there is a great feeling of disappointment towards him rather than gratitude for what he has achieved.
Bale scored important goals in the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid and Liverpool, in addition to the winning goal in the Copa del Rey final against traditional competitor Barcelona.
Between 105 goals and 68 assists in the 251 matches he played for Al-Royal.
But as his departure approaches, the media and fans are focusing on his salary, which amounts to 30 million euros a year, his record of injuries, as well as a wobbly approach towards him, instead of his wonderful performances in many cases on the field.
Bale joined Real Madrid in 2013 for 100 million euros (Reuters)
"Bale cost Real Madrid 23,800 euros per minute," the Spanish newspaper AS said in a report on Thursday, adding that "Gareth Bale cost 101 million euros and left very few effective goals, a long history of injuries, and more non-sporting disputes." ".
Among the common criticisms of Bale is that he did not show the same commitment to Real Madrid, unlike what he did in the national team, and that he did not aspire to be the captain of the team after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018.
Bill is a shy person by nature, and it is rare for him to give interviews or speak Spanish in public, and he never introduced himself to the Meringue fans who expressed their admiration for other great players such as the late Juanito and captain Sergio Ramos.
Bell's passion for playing golf in his spare time has also been taken as a sign of his 100% lack of commitment to playing football, and he is often blamed for his repeated injuries.
However, Bale didn't always help himself, by dancing with a banner celebrating his love for Wales and golf at Real Madrid's expense, to feeling bored and lethargic when he was sitting on the bench for the last matches last season.
He refused to travel and the
situation reached rock bottom when coach Zinedine Zidane announced that Bale had refused to travel with the team to face Manchester City in the second leg of the Champions League final.
"We never knew what was going on in his head, and I would have liked to hear him say from his depths that he wanted to fight for Real Madrid," said Spanish radio analyst Alvaro Benito.
Bill's passion for playing golf in his spare time is a sign of his lack of commitment to playing football (Getty Images)
"But everything that happened does not indicate that he is really committed or makes us hope that he will lead the team after the departure of Cristiano. Bale got many opportunities to be the player that we expected a lot from him because of his abilities. He was decisive in the important moments and this is not easy at all, but he put Sad because we all expected a lot from him. "
It may be difficult to feel disappointment towards Bale outside Spain due to the goals he scored and his contribution to the team's 13 titles, including 4 Champions League, two titles in the Spanish League, and the King's Cup.
But, despite his quality, it is rare for Bale to have a chance to become one of Real Madrid's historic heroes, especially since the Spanish champion always includes the best players in his ranks, since past greats Alfredo Di Stefano and Ference Puskas, or the current wonderful Zidane, Raul and Ronaldo.