What happened to Gareth Bale at Real Madrid? The rise and fall of Bale with Los Blancos
Despite being plagued by injuries and fitness concerns throughout his time with Madrid, Bale still has an impressive goal and assist record at the club.
Gareth Bale left Real Madrid with five Champions League titles, three La Liga titles and a Copa del Rey. It’s the dream CV but it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Welsh forward in the Spanish capital.
Bale was part of a star-studded Madrid side that contained Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić, Casemiro, and Sergio Ramos.
Despite being plagued by injuries and fitness concerns throughout his time with Madrid, Bale still has an impressive goal and assist record.
Bale’s Madrid record
In 258 games with Los Blancos, Bale scored 106 goals and provided 57 assists in all competitions. His goalscoring record for the La Liga club speaks for itself but perhaps he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.
He came up with some huge goals, too. He ran from the halfway line at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium in 2014 to help Madrid beat Barcelona to win the Copa del Rey; a goal former Barcelona defender Marc Bartra is still having nightmares about.
There was the goal in extra time against cross-city rivals Atlético Madrid in the 2014 Champions League final and Madridistas will remember his spectacular bicycle kick against Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final.
These are goals that helped change the history of Real Madrid.
Bernabéu boos
Bale was no stranger to receiving boos at the Santiago Bernabéu in his last few seasons at the club as he was criticised for going between the golf course and the physio’s room.
In April 2022, Bale played at the Bernabéu for the first time since 26 February 2020, and he was received with both whistles and applause by the home crowd. It was a moment that perfectly encapsulated the feeling about the Wales captain in Madrid. He grinned when he was greeted by a hostile reception in the 74th minute to replace Benzema against Getafe.
There were several incidents that angered the Madrid fanbase.
The Wales Golf Madrid shirt did not help his cause. At times, it looked like he no longer cared about the famous white shirt. He was then spotted wearing a mask over his eyes, leaving the Bernabéu early, and watching golf on his phone during Madrid games. This only added fuel to the burning fire.
Bale left Madrid to join LAFC in MLS last summer and eventually called time of his career on Monday. Some Madrid fans will remember the big Bale goals, others will remember his spell in Spain for the wrong reasons.