Opinion | Will Bale Bail?
Opinion | Will Bale Bail?
Will Gareth Bale ever get his dream move to Real?
There are many epic, drawn out love stories we have become accustomed to over time; Jen and Brad, Romeo and Juliet, Ron and Herminone but one we could not have imagined was Gareth Bale and Real Madrid. The love story to rival Cesc Fabregas and Barcelona has rolled on all summer long and you know the finale is on the horizon when Marca get involved.
The Spanish newspaper that claims to know all of the inside gossip at Valdebebas has rolled out all the necessary quotes - 'Bale is not interested in any other club except from Real Madrid' not to mention the obligatory "You promised me if we didn t qualify for the Champions League and a good offer turned up you d listen to it...Well that offer has arrived and I want to play for Real Madrid. So keep your word and negotiate. 
This should have any self respecting Real Madrid fan jumping for joy - and it would, had the quotes not been a little too familiar. So familiar in fact they were rolled out for both the pursuit of Luis Suarez and Luka Modric. One thing anyone in Spain (Iker Casillas aside) will tell you is that Marca lie and bend the truth to further their own gains. 
Will we see Bale line up alongside Ronaldo and Ramos next season?
That aside, one thing that does seem clear is the fact that Bale genuinely does want to join Los Blancos and feels the time is right in his career to do so. Should the Welshman make the move he will be making a major step up, even Andre Villas Boas would have to admit that.
Real Madrid may have ended up trophyless last season but they are one of the biggest sides on the planet. Not only do you get the aura of being a 'galactico' and Bale certainly would qualify as one of those, but he would get the chance to play along side the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos, wearing the famous white of Madrid. The obvious plus of playing in the Champions League and also the chance to rival Barcelona for titles and personal accolades cannot be overlooked either. 
Bale is the current PFA young player and PFA players player of the year.
Bale is the reigning PFA young player of the year, the PFA players' player of the year and also the FWA footballer of the year. No small achievement and something that Bale will now look to build on. The next step for the player has to be breaking into contention for awards like the Balon D'or and that simply will not happen at Spurs, but at Real Madrid...
Whilst the chance to play at the top level with the top players, the wages and acclaim on offer has been much talked about, something else that goes along with this has been mostly overlooked. The status of being a Real Madrid player brings with it the potential to send a player's endorsement deals through the roof. Whilst the likes of Beckham may have boosted his career even further in the Spanish Capital, there are of course the other English imports who failed rather spectacularly. None more so than Jonathon Woodgate whose debut ended up being so bad it became comical for Los Blancos fans.
 |
 |
Bale is notoriously humble and close to his Welsh roots and family, not to mention has just become a father to a newborn daughter. Moving to Spain could well unsettle him and there have been no shortage of former players and indeed people in the game telling him that will happen. In typical Bale fashion however, the forward noted that he would be happy to move abroad and imerse himself in another culture. But for Real Madrid to invest so heavily in a player they will simply have to do everything in their power to ensure he settles and is happy and performing well.
The arrival of Bale has raised questions about the future of Crisitano Ronaldo whose current contract expires in 2015 and is yet to pen a new one but anyone who has seen Real Madrid's pre season matches would tell you Ronaldo has been deployed in a much more central role by Ancelotti - potentially to make space for Bale on the left flank. That further explains the reluctance of Los Blancos to buy another forward after the sale of Gonzalo Higuain, and the club have made it clear a bid for Luis Suarez will only materialise as a last resort. Pretty fancy for a last resort but then that's how Florentino Perez rolls. 
Should Spurs keep a want a way player for one extra year? Daniel Levy is a top negotiator and will squeeze the maximum amount both in cash and players possible from Real Madrid, but as we have said before and will say again, the transfer of Bale to Real is a matter of when and not if.
Do you think Gareth Bale should move to Real Madrid? Let us know your thoughts.
