Gareth Bale's brilliance with the Wales national team sparks criticism in Spain
Garrett Bale can still make a difference for Wales' first-team football even though he may not have always done so in some seasons at club level.
Bale, 32, proved once again that he is still the top scorer for his country yesterday, Thursday, after his double gave the team a 2-1 victory over Austria in the semi-finals of the European qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup. With this victory, the Welsh team moved a step closer to qualifying for the finals. world for the first time since 1958.
The victory over Austria means that Wales will play in the final at home against Scotland or Ukraine in June, with the winner securing a place in the finals to be held in Qatar later this year.
The semi-final match between Scotland and Ukraine was postponed due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Bale participated in a few games with his team, Real Madrid, during the current season and was criticized for his absence from the big confrontation with Barcelona this weekend in the Spanish League, but he once again presented a completely distinguished performance at the international level.
In yesterday's match, Bale scored the first goal for his country in the 25th minute with a free kick from a distance of 35 meters. The ball crossed a defensive wall of Austrian players to pass between the post and the goalkeeper and into the net.
"This is the best free kick I've ever seen," Wales coach Rob Page said.
Bale's role in his 101st international match did not stop there.
After a corner kick at the beginning of the second half, Bell took advantage of some hesitation in the opponents' ranks and hit a powerful ball into the net to boost his team's progress and make the score 2-0.
"I don't remember a match where he didn't perform well (with his country)," said Bale's former colleague Sam Ricketts, who is now a BBC analyst. She compared his performance at the club level with his performance at the international level.
Some media accused him of claiming that he had a back injury, which caused him to miss the summit meeting last Sunday against Barcelona, which ended with the Catalan club winning 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in the Spanish capital.
"Go home, Bill," read the headline of an article in The S newspaper, written by editor-in-chief Thomas Ronsero.
This is the last year of Bale's contract with Real Madrid, which he joined in 2013 after spending last year on loan at his former club, Tottenham Hotspur, in London.
The Marca daily attacked Bell in its headline, calling him a "Welsh intruder".
"With Wales making sure that he will deliver the desired performance without any trouble or pain, Bale has revealed his priorities with the national team for his country," Barcelona newspaper Mundo Deportivo said.
Bale's current contract with the Royal Club expires in June.
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