Gareth Bale has had a tough time fitting in at Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid ever since his arrival in 2013. It's been seven long years and the Wales international has eroded from a bright star at Tottenham Hotspur to an iffy selection for Los Blancos.
This was reinforced on Tuesday when Bale was left out of a crucial 24-man squad for Friday's matchup against Manchester City in the Champions League.
The Welshman's former teammate, Danny Murphy, noted how Gareth Bale looked to have lost his hunger for football:
“I was with Gareth at Tottenham in his younger days and he seemed like a lad who loved his football and was dedicated to it, but maybe he’s lost that passion for it,” Murphy told talkSPORT's White and Sawyer Show. “Maybe the lifestyle, the family contentment, he loves his golf, the climate, the finances are good, the family are settled from what I hear… so maybe he’s not like everybody else and he’s an exception to the rule.
“But that regret of looking back and thinking, ‘I can’t do it now, why didn’t I do it then?’ Playing football is something you can’t do forever and he’s damn good at it; people like watching him play, he’s a wonderful footballer and he’s done so much in the game, but he’s still only 31.
“I’d be saying to him, ‘go and play, mate and just enjoy it.’”
Murphy is hopeful his former teammate Gareth Bale finds his way back to Tottenham sometime soon to make more out of his career than sitting on the bench for a worldwide supergiant like Real Madrid.
“There has to be a way out of Real Madrid and I think the one place for Gareth is Tottenham,” said Murphy unequivocally. “He’s loved there already; he’s got the fans on board and they could do with him, he’d be a great boost to the team.
“Could he find a way of going back there? That, for me, would be great for Tottenham.
“Even if it’s just for two or three years, go back to where you made yourself, go back to the home you love, enjoy yourself and help Tottenham get back to being competitive again.”
Bale was indeed loved at Tottenham and he had plenty of success in the Premier League as one of the top scorers in English football. Should he manage to find his way back, now with an ambitious manager in José Mourinho, his career could take new wings away from the drama he's found since his move to La Liga.
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