Triple Bogey: Spanish press slam ‘the golfer’ Gareth Bale for joining up with Wales squad despite being ruled out of last six club games as Welsh star looks to leave for China
- Real Madrid feel as though Gareth Bale has put Wales over his club side
- He was named in international squad for key games with Azerbaijan and Hungary
- There is suspicion that Welshman’s primary concern is Euro 2020 not Real
- Winger has missed a month of football with injury but is rushing back
Gareth Bale’s apparent prioritizing of Wales over Real Madrid has left him on collision course with the club ahead of the opening of the winter transfer window.
Bale has been named in the Wales squad this week and if he plays for his country against Azerbaijan and Hungary his appearance record will read: two matches for Wales, 6 games out for Madrid, 2 matches for Wales.
The four-times Champions League winner with the club is still upset with the way they treated him in the summer with Zindine Zidane saying it would be better if he left sooner rather than later.
AS ran the front page with a headline of ‘Triple Bogey’, a nod to Bale’s love of golf
There is a feeling in Madrid that Bale is not prioritsing Zinedine Zidane’s side
That bad feeling has continued into the season and the suspicion that his primary concern is now seeing Wales into Euro 2020 above on beyond performing for people he feels let him down badly in the summer has now spread through the club.
Marca headlined its front page on Tuesday with: Wales yes, Madrid no. And Diario AS went further with the headline: Triple Bogey underneath a three-point list of accusations.
The ‘Triple Bogey’ refers to Bale’s love of golf. He has even become known as ‘the golfer’ among team-mates and those in the Spanish capital, such is the amount of time he spends playing the game.
AS claim Bale wants to leave in January; the club fear he will play with Wales having missed a month of club football; and they say the club are unhappy that he leaves before the end of matches when he is watching from the stands (even though club rules allow players to leave the stadium after minute 80 of matches).
As Sportsmail reported last week Bale could move to China in the January transfer window and become the world’s highest-paid but only if Real Madrid accept a deal with only a minimal transfer fee, which they are unlikely to do.
Marca also pointed out the supposed priority for Bale being Euro 2020 qualification
The player flew to London last week to meet his agent and several Spanish media speculated that the club are preparing to allow him to join Jiangsu Suning who he reached full agreement with in the summer.
But the player’s camp remain sceptical after Real Madrid pulled out of the deal in the transfer window at the last moment after changing their mind about him leaving for almost nothing.
That has left both sides in an uncomfortable stalemate and the immediate future looks bleak for player-club relations.
The winger is still eager to leave Real and feels like he has been constantly disrespected
Bale scored for Wales against Croatia but was injured later on in the same game
Real Madrid now expect Gareth Bale to not play again for them until November 23 by which time he could have faced Azerbaijan and Hungary on November 16 and 19.
Bale will have sat out six Real Madrid fixtures by that time. He last played on October 13 for Wales versus Croatia. He last played for Real Madrid against Granada on October 1 in a win which he helped secure with the assist for the opening goal.
He had been Real Madrid’s most effective attacking player at the start of the season but a sense that the club let him down in the summer and that Zidane should have handled his possible departure differently have still festered.
The Real star is a passionate golfer and it is used as a stick to beat him with
