Mendieta: “Bale would rather play with the public, even with those who whistle”

Gaizka Mendieta was one of the stars of LaLiga. The Bilbao-born footballer jumped in 92 from Castellón to Valencia until he became one of the most outstanding footballers in Europe. His talent and some spectacular goals hard to forget, which have even ended in songs, put him squarely in the history of LaLiga.

Mendieta spoke about LaLiga and his return in Daily Mail and wanted to focus on one of the players who already triumphed on the islands, Gareth Bale. The Basque was asked about the public and how he thinks Bale would take playing without that critical sector that sometimes whistles during games at the Bernabéu. “I think if you ask him and the rest of the players they will tell you that they prefer to play with fans in the stands, even with those who boo him. It is something that is part of the soccer culture, “he assured.

“In Bale's case, he surely prefers to be with the fans in the stadium to play in the sports city, which will be strange because there are no stands or anything. There will be a contrast compared to the full Bernabéu,” added the former Barcelona player and Valencia.

In addition to assessing the psychological component of the presence or not of the public, banned at the moment due to the coronavirus pandemic, he believes that LaLiga will be the most attractive competition in Europe in this postponed campaign finale. “It has become a very competitive League. Anyone can beat anyone. Also, people always like to think about who is on top and who is going to win but I think the fight for permanence is also very exciting. The decline has been incredible in recent years when it has depended on one game and many teams separated by three points, “he explains.

In this interview he leaves two players to follow and they are both from Valencia. The midfielder opted for Ferrán Torres and Carlos Soler, to whom he praised and to whom he wanted to add something more about his professional situation. “As a club, we would have to try to keep them. It is difficult because there are many great players pressing for them to leave,” he said.