Bale's Redemption

Eleven matches for the redemption of Gareth Bale. The 30-year-old Welshman (31 in a little over a month) has before him the opportunity to star in another return from ostracism, starting this Sunday (7:30 p.m., Movistar LaLiga) against Eibar at Alfredo di Stéfano de Valdebebas . Zidane weighs having him in the starting lineup as a right winger, forming an attack trident with Hazard, on the left, and Benzema, at the top. The relationship between Zizou and Bale is not ideal, but already from the beginning of the season the coach made it clear that, if the Brit was at his disposal, he planned to get the most out of him.

So much so that Bale started in six of the first eight days of LaLiga, despite the fact that Zidane clearly expressed his desire to leave the team in preseason: “It is good for everyone, the player knows his situation. Madrid is trying to leave, if he leaves tomorrow, better, “said Zizou in Houston after the first friendly of the course against Bayern, in the days when the Welshman was very close to signing for a Chinese club.

That did not bear fruit, Bale stayed in Madrid and Zidane pulled him as much as possible, until the problems came: recurring injuries, that banner in Wales (“Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order”) and a questionable performance, with only three goals and two assists in 1,160 minutes this course. He has not scored in LaLiga since September 1, 2019 (double at Villarreal's home) and with Madrid as a local, since March 16 of the same year, in LaLiga last year. Even so, he was a starter at PSG home, at the Camp Nou, in the Metropolitan … But in the weeks before the COVID-19 crisis break, Zidane seemed to have completely lost faith in him: only 15 minutes in the first leg of the Champions League against City, none at the Bernabéu against Barcelona and neither at Villamarín against Betis, with the team losing and giving up the lead.

Rivals on the right

However, circumstances have again come to the aid of Bale, who benefits from his experience, his scoring ability (more in the past than in the present) and above all, the current situation of the squad. Zidane only sees Vinicius on the left, where Hazard's recovery blocks him; Rodrygo's numbers (seven goals in 1,010 minutes) are his best guarantee, but Zidane's confidence in him waned over the weeks., to the limit that at the end of February he had to go down to Castilla to be able to enjoy minutes, after three days without even being called; Lucas Vázquez starts with the sign of revulsive and refreshment, his turn would come later with the overload of matches; Brahim does not count, he has only played 170 minutes, most of it in the Cup; and Asensio would appear as Bale's main rival for that position on the right, but Zidane will not risk giving him the first title after more than ten months in the dry dock. The Balearic moment will come, but Zidane has already shown that the rush does not go with him.