Despite scoring a hat-trick in Zinedine Zidane’s first game in charge, Gareth Bale said he’s had to shrug off personal disappointment at Rafael Benitez’s sacking as Real Madrid coach.
Bale stole the show with his second treble in four games in a 5-0 rout of Deportivo la Coruna as Zidane was given a hero’s welcome on his return to the Santiago Bernabeu where he played for the final five years of his playing career.
The optimism that engulfed the Bernabeu following Zidane’s promotion from coach of Madrid’s feeder team Castilla to the top job was in stark contrast to the poisonous atmosphere during Benitez’s seven-month spell in charge when he and many players, including Bale, felt the fans’ wrath.
Bale was given a standing ovation after taking his tally to 10 goals in his last seven games on Saturday, but, unlike many of his superstar teammates, said he had been sad to see Benitez go.
“I had a very good relationship with Rafa, obviously it was a big disappointment to see him go,” Bale said.
“But things like this happen in football, you’re professional and you get on with it and carry on.”
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Instead, Bale is now under the tutelage of one of his boyhood heroes, who encouraged him to first fall in love with Madrid during the club’s Galactico era, culminating in Zidane’s sensational volley to win the 2002 Uefa Champions League final.
“As a player he was incredible,” Bale said.
“They were all superstars and I just loved watching Real Madrid, it was a great team to watch.
“You try and emulate people like that. He’s a legend not just at the club, but for football.
“We had a chat when he first came in, and I think no matter what I’ll always give 100 per cent on a football pitch and that’s what I did (against Deportivo).”
Benitez’s sacking sparked a new wave of rumours that Bale could be convinced to return to the Premier League, where he was Player of the Year twice in three years for Tottenham Hotspur before making his dream move to Madrid.
Yet, he said his immediate future remains in the Spanish capital, although without closing the door on a return to England.
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“I don’t feel I need to make a statement to anyone, I know what I’m capable of and I just want to keep enjoying my football and when I do that I play my best,” he said.
“I’m happy at the moment. Obviously you can never predict what happens in the future, but I’m enjoying my football at the moment so I’ll keep going.”
Despite a mid-season change of coach, Madrid remain very much in the Primera Liga title hunt as victory over Deportivo moved them back to within two points of Barcelona — albeit having played a game more.
And having seen Barca reel in Madrid over the spring in 2015 on their way to a treble, Bale sees no reason why Madrid can’t do the same this year.
“I think this time last year we were clear and we hadn’t lost in 22 games,” he said.
“We know what can happen in the league, we know we have to keep fighting all the way and we’ll keep doing that until the last whistle.”
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