Gareth Bale was among the Real Madrid stars to land in England on Monday ahead of their Champions League clash against Manchester City.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side have already enjoyed a memorable European campaign after their remarkable Round of 16 comeback victory over Paris Saint-Germain, followed on by their exhilarating progress past Chelsea in the quarter-final stage of the competition.
Earlier this month, Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett confirmed the Welshman would be leaving Real Madrid at the end of the season. However, the Welshman is part of Ancelotti’s squad for the trip to Manchester ahead of the first leg of their tie against Pep Guardiola’s side.
Bale has recently hit out at Spanish media outlet Marca as being “disgusting” for comparing him to a parasite over claims he is sucking money out of the Spanish giants. Bale concluded a rant against the reports by stating: “We all know who the real parasite is!” The forward had faced fresh criticism from the Madrid media after his starring role for Wales in their playoff win over Austria last month.
Bale’s fall from prominence at Real Madrid in recent years has been striking and he went six months without featuring for the club this season, although he regained fitness during the international breaks to represent Wales. He has suffered multiple fitness setbacks along the way, but he has become a peripheral player at the club.
The 32-year-old had appeared to be enjoying a new lease of life in the Spanish capital following the return of boss Carlo Ancelotti this summer. He started in all three of Madrid’s opening games of the campaign before being beset by fresh injury problems, limiting him to just two starts in the last eight months.
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Earlier this month, Madrid boss Ancelotti said of Bale: "He had problems and lately he hasn't played, but he's a player who has entered the history of the club with his titles and goals. He is fine, he's in good physical condition. He has shown that with his national team and he wants to show it here. He's confident, he wants to finish well with this club."
The forward starting February’s draw at Villarreal and made a brief cameo substitute appearance against Getafe earlier this month – a game in which was largely booed by the club’s fans upon his first appearance at the Santiago Bernabeu in over two years – but has not played any other league games since August.
Bale has won a total of 13 trophies at Real Madrid including two La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns. However, his game-time under both Zinedine Zidane and Ancelotti has significantly reduced in recent years – with his exit this summer at the end of his contract.
Both Real Madrid and Man City reached this stage of the competition last season, with Madrid falling to Chelsea in the last four with Guardiola’s side being edged out by the Blues in the showpiece.
