The situation
The neverending story ends today. Bale and the Bernabéu , a story that began in romance and ended in tragedy. A thick cover book that reaches its back cover. Today will officially be Gareth Bale’s last night at the Bernabéu as a Real Madrid player. 3,156 days have passed since the first; almost a decade. Because after landing in Chamartín that summer of 2013 and making his debut at El Madrigal (with a goal), his home debut was hard to come by. He was in a derby on September 28, substituting for Di Maria at half-time. A hero came through the front door. Tonight, against Betis, that same icon will go out the back door.The club will not organize any farewell for him, not even a press conference. Her goodbye to him will be what you see.A player who has proven to be capable of the best and the worst will be fired. To put a Chilean from outside the area in a Champions League final and, also, laugh at his club with a “Wales. Golf. Madrid” flag during an international break. Because his talent, despite everything, is discussed by few. After all, he was a leg of that legendary tripod called the BBC. Author of 106 goals and 67 assists with Real Madrid. Champion of four Champions Leagues, three Leagues, one Copa del Rey, six Super Cups (three in Spain and three in Europe) and four Club World Cups (in one, moreover, he was the top scorer). A huge talent.
The details
And author of a thousand and one controversies. On the Valdebebas bench, he even pretended to be asleep, covering his face with a mask … days after simulating binoculars with his hands. Unforgettable banner of him in Cardiff, probably the fattest of all. That marked a before and after. But there was more: leaving before the end of the matches at the Bernabéu (even with the team losing), never wanting to answer questions from the press in Spanish (something that Toshack himself criticized, then Wales coach), his frightening to Wales to play as usual with his team -when in Madrid, days before, he was injured-, do not go to team dinners claiming that you go to bed at 11:00 p.m. or your sleeve cut at the Metropolitan.Of the 3,183 days that have passed since he became a Real Madrid player (he arrived on September 1, 2013), he has spent 628 injured.