Towards the end of his time in Madrid, Gareth Bale almost became persona non grata. The fact that he still left as a Real legend also has to do with an evening ten years ago
100 million euros wasn’t even Cristiano Ronaldo’s price tag – and the Portuguese was only sitting in the stands, ailing. Late on the evening of April 16, 2014, the spotlight at Real Madrid was shining on Gareth Bale as the Whites took on FC Barcelona in the Spanish Cup final. Clasico.
On the other side, the prominent new signing was Neymar, CR7 counterpart Lionel Messi was fit – but Bale was the most expensive footballer in the world at the time, wearing the shirt of their most famous club. A situation that apparently didn’t bother the then 24-year-old Welshman.
Cristiano Ronaldo was sure to be in the spotlight in Madrid, but Bale would not even necessarily end his first season in Spain in his shadow with 22 goals and 19 assists – an average of one goal in every game, extrapolated to 44 competitive matches in 2013/14.
Bale sprints through Barca’s coaching zone
Bale was yet to score his obligatory goal as the Clasico cup final entered its final stages on a Wednesday night at the Mestalla in Valencia. Angel di Maria had given Carlo Ancelotti’s team an early lead, Marc Bartra equalized for Gerardo “Tata” Martino’s side in the second half. Incidentally, Diego Simeone’s Atletico would become champions a few weeks later.
The 85th minute had just begun when Real launched another counter-attack. Left-back Fabio Coentrao played the ball along the left touchline, where Bale was virtually only in the way of Bartra. The Welshman raised his head briefly, recognized the situation and put the ball past Barcelona’s goalscorer with his first touch.
The then 23-year-old defender was still successful in his attempt to simply push Bale out of the area, but he simply sprinted on through Martino’s coaching zone, past the pitiful Bartra and into the five-yard box, where he cheekily put the ball through the legs of Barca’s substitute goalkeeper José Pinto. Real Madrid were cup winners
Five and a half weeks later, the Whites faced their next Spanish opponents in an even bigger final – city rivals Atletico in the final of the Champions League, which they had not won for twelve years. Sergio Ramos scored the acclaimed equalizer in the third minute of stoppage time, and Real eventually won the enforced extra time by a clear margin.
However, it was Bale who scored the all-important 2-1 goal in the 110th minute that finally broke Atletico’s tie, scoring arguably the two most valuable goals in a legendary season for Real and perhaps justifying his enormous transfer fee in his first year
Bale would stay in Madrid for another eight years, but at least the last three would be labeled as wasted. Persistent bad luck with injuries and, arguably, dwindling interest brought what should have been a successful liaison to an almost tragic end. The mutual estrangement was unmistakable.
Harsh criticism characterized the second half of his time at Real far more than praise, and yet the former 100 million man managed to leave the biggest club in the world as a legend in 2022. Bale, who ended his career in 2023, scored too many great goals and won too many titles for that – starting with his fabulous run at the Mestalla, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this Tuesday.
