Gareth Bale’s stint on the sidelines doesn’t look over after Real Madrid were forced to deny suggestions in Spanish newspaper Marca that their record signing has a slipped disk.
Bale has failed to make an impact in La Liga since his €100m transfer from Spurs last month, largely due to an injured foot and pulled hamstring. Frustration is growing among Madrid fans, many of who are desperate to see their new Galactico in action.
Indeed, there is mounting concern that the Welshman’s injury worries may hamper his career at Madrid, for failure to settle immediately into the cut-throat nature of elite Spanish football often leads to expulsion.
Over the past few years, fans have seen Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Nuri Sahin, and Royston Drenthe arrive at the Bernabeu only to quickly shuffle out to pastures new. Looking further back, two Premier League exports, Thomas Gravesen and Jonathan Woodgate, are prime examples of Madrid’s uncompromising nature.
Woodgate, certainly, suffered when an injury-plagued start at Madrid cost him a place in the XI for more than a season. When he finally made his debut 13 months after his £13.4m transfer, he scored an own goal and was sent off. Woodgate made just eight more appearances in two years before being shipped back to Blighty.
Gravesen, meanwhile, simply didn’t fit the Galacticos style and was never a hit with the fans – despite becoming one of Goodison Park’s most popular players.
Of course, Madrid have invested much more in Bale than they did with Woodgate or Gravesen and because of this he’ll get more time to correct his fitness and bed in. But every player has a clock at the Bernabeu and the only thing that stops it ticking is goals.
Bale must hit the net upon his return and continue to contribute to the team or he could end up the most expensive flop in history. He certainly has the talent to alleviate this worry, but injuries have ruined careers before, as fans of the live football commentary will no doubt be aware, and Bale is not immune to this same fate.