Zinedine Zidane reflects on Real Madrid’s up-and-down performance, which resulted in a win over Malaga.
Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale is set to return from his latest injury absence in Tuesday’s Copa del Rey clash with Fuenlabrada, with his agent claiming that pundits will soon be apologising for the “rubbish” they have written about the Wales international.
Bale has not played since September due to the latest of a long series of muscle problems and some have questioned whether the time has come to sell the former Tottenham winger.
Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has remained publicly supportive of Bale and told Monday’s prematch news conference that he would definitely feature in the round-of-32 second-leg clash against third-tier Fuenlabrada. Bale said on Twitter on Monday that he had been through a “tough month” but was “working hard to get back” on the pitch.
Tuesday morning’s Marca cover read: “They need you — Madrid await Bale’s return with open arms,” in reference to how Zidane’s side had fallen eight points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona without the winger.
However, speaking to fichajes.com, Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett recalled the less flattering things that have been written about his client, while predicting that critics would be forced to retract their words.
“I believe the critics should watch very closely the games currently without Gareth Bale,” Barnett said. “They will see that when he returns to the team it will improve, and then the critics should apologise. Some journalists in Spain write rubbish. They do not base [their articles] on football reasons, and that is a mistake. They write things without taking the time to analyse what he has done.
Gareth Bale is in line for his Real Madrid comeback on Tuesday.
“In games he has played, Real Madrid have won three Champions Leagues, La Liga, Supercopas, Copa [del Rey]… When he has been there, they have won everything. The fans should adore him.”
Barnett said the summer’s reports that the 28-year-old was close to a €100 million move to Manchester United had all been “inventions” as Bale wanted to spend the rest of his career at Madrid.
“Those who write these stories should return to school and learn how journalism should be,” he said. “It is not about inventing stories. I don’t want to get angry, but I have read made-up stories. He wants to play the rest of his life at Real Madrid. He loves Madrid, the city, the life and the club.
“He really does, that is why of course he hurts when the fans do not support him, and they do support other players who are not as good as he is. It is crazy, it only happens in Spain and I don’t understand it. The fans must understand this and know what a good person he is.”
Barnett added: “[The criticism] does not affect him. If he had done badly, and the club did not have confidence in him, that would affect him because he loves Real Madrid, he loves the fans. And that is what is important, not what the journalists say. I believe that Real Madrid’s fans have to see how good he is and understand and support him.”
Dermot Corrigan is a Madrid-based football writer who covers La Liga and the Spain national team for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @dermotmcorrigan
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Source: espn.co.uk
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