Zidane: Bale rejected mission against FCB

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has denied a disrespectful dealings with Welsh football star Gareth Bale. “I didn’t disrespect anyone, least of all Gareth,” the 47-year-old replied to Bale’s adviser Jonathan Barnett’s criticism the day before the Royals’ test match against Arsenal FC.

Bale himself had not played in the International Champions Cup against Bayern Munich (1:3) due to transfer negotiations, said Zidane. After the game the Frenchman had said about Bale: “The club is working on its farewell. Let’s hope it happens soon.”

Barnett reacted with outrage to the French news agency AFP: “Zidane is a disgrace, he shows no respect for a player who has done so much for Real Madrid”. At the same time, however, the consultant confirmed that he was working on a change.

Bale had moved from Tottenham Hotspur to Madrid in 2013 for the then record sum of 101 million euros, but did not fit into Zidane’s system.

This was one of the reasons why the Welsh wing forward had recently been associated with the Bavarians. According to coach Niko Kovac, the offensive star is not an issue in Munich. A return to the Spurs is also under discussion.