Make-or-break week for Gareth Bale at Real Madrid, says Terry Gibson
Tuesday 1 May 2018 16:38, UK
Gareth Bale faces a defining week in Real Madrid career, according to Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Terry Gibson.
Bale, 28, joined Madrid from Tottenham in a €100m deal in September 2013, but after an impressive start to life in the Spanish capital, the forward has recently struggled to cement a regular starting berth at the club.
Bale - who is contracted to Real until the summer of 2022 - was an unused substitute as Zinedine Zidane's side beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final at the Allianz Arena last Wednesday night.
However, with the holders hosting Bayern in the return leg on Tuesday evening, followed by a clash with newly crowned La Liga champions Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Sunday, the Welshman faces a critical few days if he wants to stay at the club next season.
He has to rescue this season. If he does not, then the speculation will be rife again
"There is no doubt it is a big week and it is a turning point for Gareth Bale - it is make or break this week because they have the clash against Bayern Munich, the clash against Barcelona," Gibson told the La Liga Weekly podcast.
"After that, that is it. It will either be the Champions League final, or just running down their league fixtures. So this week is the last chance in these two games for Bale to make an impact.
"It will be interesting to see what sort of team Zidane puts out in the Clasico, which is of course dependent on how the result goes against Bayern."
If Bale can now recapture the sort of form that made him one of the first names on the Real team-sheet though - starting against the Bundesliga champions on Tuesday - then he may still have a future at the Santiago Bernabeu, according to Gibson.
"He has to make an impact if he does come off the bench," said the former Tottenham and Man Utd forward.
"It is fair to say that he has to rescue this season. If he does not, then the speculation will be rife again in the summer.
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"You have to look at it from both angles as well - will Real Madrid want to move him on if he is not playing? Probably.
"Will Bale want to move on from Real if he is not starting and other players are starting ahead of him?
"As it turned out against Bayern, he ended up being about fifth choice by not coming on. The players who started the game ahead of him, then the players who came off the bench ahead of him.
"It was clear then that he seemed to be quite a distance away, but all it needs is that turning point.
"It might be coming off the bench against Bayern, which then leads to him playing in the Clasico, which then leads to him being involved - if they get there - in the Champions League final.
"He is still a fantastic player with a lot to offer, but time is running out to change Zidane's current opinion."
