Real Madrid should celebrate Gareth Bale

Let’s do a little mental exercise. Imagine you are the owner of a football team. Things on the pitch are going so-so, but you have a player in your squad who generally scores goals when he’s on the pitch. Is he worth his place? Of course. The lad sometimes isn’t available because he is injury prone. Do you do everything possible to get him fit and playing? Naturally. And he will be applauded by everyone, including his teammates, when he does make his return. Especially those among them who know his true value to the team.

It’s true that he isn’t a chest-beater; that he sometimes leaves games early when he’s a spectator and that he doesn’t always track back. But the boy has something, that thing that is so difficult to find; an eye for goal. Do you look after him? Of course you do. That’s the case with Gareth Bale.

Bale as influential as Ronaldo and Benzema

His importance to Real Madrid (he has registered similar numbers to Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema over the last 30 games played by all three as noted by @pedritonumeros) is undeniable but his contribution is distorted by his price tag and by the expectation on him to replace the side’s last undisputed leader, as well as by the injuries that have plagued his career at the Bernabéu. A note on that point: Bale’s reaction to getting bad news when he is injured is admirable. “OK, what do I need to do to recover,” is his stoic reaction.

Now that goals at Real Madrid do not grow on a Portuguese tree, having a player like Bale at your disposal is something to celebrate. And he wants to stay at Real Madrid. He would happily retire at the Bernabéu. And after that, he may well turn on his back on football entirely. Until then, Bale will be around at Real Madrid for a while.