Gareth Bale Deserves Better

Gareth Bale is the greatest British footballer of all time. Not English, BRITISH. He’s representing more than just Wales, he’s by and far the most talented modern footballer from the UK; he gives the whole British Isles a great name. However, that hasn’t stopped the Spanish media, especially the Madrid media, from continuing to drag him in the mud. Say what you want about Bale: injuries, falling out with the Real fan base, “Wales. Golf. Madrid…” he’s still one of Madrid’s most talented players even at age 33. So when he finally got tired of MARCA spewing lies and slander about him, you can understand his frustration. The Madrid media is full of these anti-Bale agenda-pushers but for once, can’t they just acknowledge what Bale has done for Real Madrid? Gareth Bale deserves better. 

Ever since his move from Spurs to Madrid in 2013, Bale has continually been shown in a very strange light. The Madridistas never really liked him; his British allegiance often gave them the impression he was never going to embrace the Madrid lifestyle. Yet he would deliver on everything he was bought for. Dynamic runs, amazing goals, two La Ligas, four Champions League-one of which he hit an absolutely sensational bicycle kick-and he played alongside an amazing generation of players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos, and so many more. Even when Bale was still liked by the Madrid fans and media, they didn’t necessarily love him like they did Ronaldo and Ramos, or even Modric and Toni Kroos for that matter. Why did Bale’s relationship sour with Real Madrid, the club and the culture around it?

The Spanish media likes to play blame games when things aren’t going well. The post-Ronaldo era for Madrid has not been without some serious bumps in the road, and Bale has become a whipping boy for MARCA because they have this hatred of English players. They assume English players won’t assimilate, they are entitled, they don’t play Spanish style football, they don’t typically learn Spanish or learn it well, then they are often paid heavily for like 18 to 24 months of service and decide to go back to England or leave for something new when things don’t really work out for them in Spain. David Beckham, Michael Owen, Steve McManaman are some of the best examples of this; but Bale is much different in this regard. He’s played in Spain for over 9 years now. He’s scored 81 LaLiga goals in 175 appearances for Real, add in 20 Champions League goals, plus 18 assists, some of which came in the most clutch moments…the Madrid media has the audacity to call him a parasite…this is just blatant disrespect and they have done this for almost a decade to try and get him to leave. They don’t do this regarding Eden Hazard or Marco Asensio, it should be noted. 

Bale at this point in his career is well past his best years, but he’s not completely useless. Just look at the free kick he hit for Wales as he’s basically carrying them to a potential World Cup berth. He’s doing that age 33…do you know how crazy that is? Take away what you will from his loan move back to Spurs in 2020, he was still a very important player when he was healthy and helped them finish in a European spot, albeit 7th place. Yes he is injury prone, and he probably shouldn’t start but an impact sub for Madrid wouldn’t be such a bad thing would it? What do you expect of him exactly? No, he could not carry the team without Ronaldo but Marco Asensio is expected to? Now Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Asensio have passed him in the pecking order, he rides the bench until he leaves. This is not how you treat a loyal member of your club; not to mention Madrid does nothing to help and some could argue they are the ones feeding Marca these sorts of insults and libel about Bale.  A four-time Champions League winner is being dragged in the dirt because he refuses to leave and give up the 600 grand a week wage Real Madrid GAVE TO HIM. Now he's set to leave the club on a free transfer with what has become a tainted legacy, but not by Bale's doing. 

Personally, I think this whole Gareth Bale-Madrid beef is really childish on Madrid's part. Bale has given them everything and then some, but Florentino Perez doesn't see it that way. He's been trying to get rid of Bale for so long in order to bring in Kylian Mbappe. The disrespect shown to Bale by his own club is disgusting. Gareth Bale is a generational talent, and he deserves so much better. I think him leaving Madrid would be ideal in the next step in his career, even though he's heading into the autumn of it. He's still class enough to play top-level football, albeit in a reduced role. I think Bale should come back to the Premier League, where he would be undoubtedly, unconsciously, unanimously loved by any English team. They know how good Bale really is, the skill he possesses, the football phenom he is, all while cementing his status as the greatest British footballer in history. Real Madrid's toxicity and the Spanish media's support of it is atrocious, and it just shows how deep nationalism and stereotyping run in European football media. Gareth Bale deserves to play for a team that truly loves him. Tottenham loves to this day, Wales will never forget, and Real Madrid will wish they still had him around when they fall off without him, Benzema, and Modric around. Bale deserves more, certainly better than Real Madrid.