Bale: "I definitely have more excitement playing for Wales"

Gareth Bale says he gets more excited to play for Wales than he does for Real Madrid as confusion continues to swirl around the player's current situation. Zidane said Bale was not injured but not available before the Eibar game last weekend and he joined Welsh training at the start of the week appearing in good spirits and fully fit.

"I definitely have more excitement playing for Wales (than Real Madrid)," said Bale during Wales pre-match press conference on Friday. "It’s like playing with your mates down the park on a Sunday."

The Welsh striker has been criticised for never fully learning Spanish with Marcelo saying that he sits beside Bale in the dressing room and there is rarely a whole lot said. Bale said: "With Wales, I’m speaking my own language and feel more comfortable. But it doesn’t change what I do on the pitch."

Bale fit for Wales

Bale has not played with Real Madrid since before the last international break when he was injured playing against Croatia. He was subsequently called up by Ryan Giggs, who said that Bale is feeling fine and was confident he could play in the Azerbaijan and Hungary games.

Real Madrid players have been asked about Bale and they all say they are keen for the player to come back feeling 100%. Nacho says he remains an important player and Casemiro says he doesn't really care what he does off the field. 

The Welsh striker has also been criticised for his enthusiasm for golf, which some claim is absent when it comes to football. He left the stadium early on a number of occasions recently but Zinedine Zidane says it is within the team's rules.

SER reported recently that Bale might have played his last game for Real Madrid with just a couple of weeks until the January transfer window. He was close to a move to China in the summer but that fell apart at the 11th hour and while he re-established himself in Zidane's plans, that didn't last very long due to his mysterious recent injury.