Gareth Bale Not Happy In Madrid

Since his arrival in the Spanish capital, Bale has had to play second and third fiddle to other stars like Ronaldo, Benzema and even Di Maria last year, who’s now been replaced by James Rodriguez. He’s experienced highs and lows in Madrid but in the last couple months it seems to have been nothing but lows.  Just recently, after the El Classico, he had his car attacked by Real fans denting his Bentley. 

Problems With Ronaldo

It’s no secret Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t seem to support Bale much. Ronaldo probably doesn’t like Bale taking over the “most expensive player in the world award” from him only a couple seasons after he held the world’s largest transfer fee record. And in truth, did Gareth really deserve to have such a fee paid for him? And, wouldn’t he have been better off at Real if he didn’t have that also looming over his head? With that record comes criticism from the fans and from your teammates alike. One bad pass and you’re the top story in the sports pages. One missed shot and you get your car attacked by crazy fans. All this leads to discomfort and no doubt Bale is weighing up his options for next season.

Will Real Madrid Sell Him?

The way I see it, even if Cristiano leaves Real this offseason which is highly unlikely, Bale will still be moved. He has nothing to gain by staying and the club directors have no reason to keep him. The fans don’t like him and he’s not performing well. Remember this is the same club that sold Di Maria who was loved by the fans and cost the club way less money. Real Madrid can cash in on Bale and buy another big name player like a Pogba, Reus, or both in the offseason, which will make them the headlines they always seek in the Summer and save them some cash.

Where he would go is very limited. There are only a few teams that could afford Gareth Bale. Manchester City, Chelsea, and PSG would have to sell a couple players to make this happen under FFP regulations. Manchester United could probably afford him without selling a single player.  If he had his choice I think he would choose United. There he would be joining a squad that is on the climb and isn’t littered with big egos. He would be the best player on the squad from day one and United fans are usually very good to their players. But with rumors going around that Ronaldo is also looking to move this Summer and the fact that it is no secret he would want to move back to United, Bale may end up going somewhere else just to avoid playing with Ronaldo again. There are some reports that claim United are trying to sign both. That would probably be the biggest offseason of any club ever but I highly doubt those two will ever play together again. If United only had to choose one, you would think they would bring home their beloved Ronaldo which would leave Bale on the table for cross town rivals Manchester City. This would make for an amazing rivalry between these two teams next season.

I’m not sure how this will all play out but I’m willing to bet that Bale will not be at Real Madrid next season, nor do I think he should be. He’s a great player that needs some support and a stable environment to shine. Besides Real don’t know what to do with him. There he’s just a player to make posters and English promos out of.

EDIT:  Thursday March 25th it seems the odds makers slashed the odds on Bale going to Manchester United today. Looks like my prediction is very likely. Click here to read more.