Will Gareth Bale rediscover himself under Zinedine Zidane?

Will Gareth Bale rediscover himself under Zinedine Zidane?

Gareth Bale is one of the few players at Real Madrid who were opposed to the sacking of manager Rafa Benitez, and though his disappointment was well documented in the media, he did not let it show on the pitch.

The former Tottenham forward scored a hat-trick in the club’s 5-0 trumping of Deportivo La Coruna in a match played at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

When he was substituted with a quarter of an hour to go, the Welshman received a standing ovation from the club’s supporters who previously displayed some measure of hostility towards him.

Zidane played Bale, Ronaldo and Benzema upfront with Modric, Kroos, and Isco in the midfield. Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo manned the defense with Navas on the post.

Benzema opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Bale followed with a goal each in the 22nd, 49th and 63rd minute. Benzema wrapped up the scoring in the additional minutes of the match.

Bale has now scored 51 goals in 108 games for Real Madrid and his haul has included some sensational strikes and efforts of huge importance, according to SkySports.com.

In his last season at Tottenham, he scored 26 goals in 44 appearances leading to interest from big clubs including Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Madrid managed to beat Manchester United to the chase signing Bale in 2013 for £85.3m, a record transfer at the time.

In his first season in Spain, Bale scored 22 goals in 44 appearances before dropping to 17 goals in 48 appearances in the 2014/15 season.

If Zidane’s promise to show Bale “the same affection Benitez had” is anything to go by, then football fans should brace themselves for exploits from the 26-year-old.

Contrary to the jeers and whistles that Benitez had grown used to during his tenure, the supporters applauded Zidane as a compilation of the former Real Madrid midfielder’s finest moments were broadcast at the stadium’s big screen.

Madrid supporters will certainly be impressed by how fast their expensively-assembled side got over memories of ‘the Rafa Benitez days’ and, under Zinedine Zidane, they feel they have found the right person to bring back the glory days at the Bernabeu.

Whether this display will be sustainable is something only time can tell with a general feel of ‘more can still be done’ still lingering at Santiago Bernabeu.

That’s the kind of expectation that hangs on Zidane’s shoulders.

By Matthews Mutai

 

Tags:

Real Madrid Zinedine Zidane Gareth Bale Tottenham

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