All falls on that word, 'greater', which people have different definitions of.
Gareth Bale | Golfer, ex-Footballer, Elbower of racists, Philosopher, Golf Ambassador, Bar Owner, Real Legend, Defibrillator
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I don't even know why he is hyping him too the moon them getting offended for folk calling out his 'its not even close" comment.
Bale was a whopper player no doubt about it. As someone said last night, clutch player as well.
But there it no chance when their careers are said and done that he comfortably better than Rooney and it's not even close. They not the only players in with a shout.
The Madrid fans opinion is totally relevant. He scored some massive goals for them, but don't think he ever really had his best run of form with them over the years like he did with spurs and was down the pecking order regarding other players at the club. Mixed bag but no doubt some very very high moments with them.
Comedy he literally turned up last night, Looks like he can still do it, and barely features for madrid......hilarious actually especially the money he is on, totally pissing them off
That post might be responding to the Marca article but I believe in general he is talking about the stream of negative articles written about him over a prolonged period of time and the wider issue of athletes being subjected to abuse in the media. He is also saying that he has a thick skin and can take it but is speaking out because that is not the case for everyone as we have seen recently with the likes of Naomi Osaka.
This is very well said.
Dont apply his words to the shite that Marca are kicking out.
Bale is behaving as ALL tub thumping nationalistic England fans would want from their only World Class player.
Madrid fans, owner and often Coaches have treated Bale like shit. The lad is one of the best players of his generation. Most of us would have collected a cheque and put country before club in the face of the shite he’s endured.
I think he’s one of the most open and honest footballers of the modern era. Doesn’t give a shit about PR. Owns his shit. Doesn’t spin anything. Turns up. Performs on the biggest stages when asked to.
None of us would give a shit about fighting our way to 80% fitness to play Getafe if our club was talking shite about us.
Bale is a Welsh football legend. He and Giggs are two sides of the same world class coin. Giggs put Club first. Bale put country first. Let’s celebrate them both and not pick sides.
He’s a good player, but feck me he’s been picking up £750k a week for years while giving two fingers to Madrid. If this were United he’d be public enemy number 1, don’t kid yourself that international form would make a difference.
I'm not sure I can agree but I won't shut the argument down before it begins either.
I think the "bit part" nature of his career probably clouds my judgement in fairness.
No one has said he's nowhere near. Anyone that'd took issue with the statement, it was actually the caveats made at the end, "its not even that close" etc
That is not really accurate though.
2017/18 Season played a lot of games, matchwinner in the CL final. Zidane chose to leave him out at times so not his fault.
2018/19 Season he played a lot for the team and only lost his place when Zidane returned.
2019/20 Season only 20 appearances but this was Zidane freezing him out and only after the club blocked his move to China.
2020/21 Season on loan at Spurs who paid a big loan fee of around 15M plus a chunk of his wages
2021/22 Season had a serious knee injury and then COVID but crucially is not used when he is available so not his fault.
The narrative that he is giving two fingers to Madrid is a media creation. Most of his absences from the team over the last few seasons prior to this one have been due to the Managers selection choices not his being unavailable and he has actively tried to leave only to see the moves vetoed by the club. Is he supposed to get off the bench and start playing even if his manager does not sub him on? Should he return his wages and say no thanks because they blocked him leaving and then won't play him?
Real only have themseleves to blame. He was on a plane to China then they got greedy
Wales, Golf, Madrid, was it? That’s pretty much giving the middle finger to Real.
A worldclass player going out of his way to stick it to Real and their fans. I love him. May he never stop.
For reference that quote came from the Spanish media, a fan stuck it on a flag as a wind up and he got pictured celebrating behind it after a Wales game but he didn't see what was written on it until after the picture was taken. It is actually a perfect example of how the media likes to create a narrative. It was their own words and yet they now run with the story as though he coined the phrase and had the flag made up himself to insult the club, it is pathetic.
He used to sit on the bench with a cloth over his eyes and when he picked up his 10 injury of the season would be seen walking around a golf course.
True, but there surely there must some objective foundation for speculative claims like "greater". For example, it cannot be plausibly argued under any possible understanding of the word "greater" that Anthony Martial is or was ever at any point in time greater than Gareth Bale at any point in Bale's professional career going back to his earliest days with Southampton.
I'll grant Bale has score more spectacular goals than I recall Shearer ever scoring, but I can't imagine anyone seriously arguing that Bale was greater than Shearer...and I'm one of those who agreed Shearer had it coming with Keane gave it to him!
He has played 256 times for Madrid. Considering for the last 3 years he spent 1 on loan at Tottenham and the other 2 being frozen out he actually has been available most of the time but it does not suit the narrative so Bale playing golf in his free time becomes a major problem. Why can't he focus on traditional football pastimes like drinking, dodging taxes and cheating on his wife? The cloth over his eyes on the bench? Give me a break, he did it once in the middle of a spell in the 19/20 season when Zidane would rather have played with 10 men than use him.
In so far as this latest scandal is concerned. Ancelotti has been leaving him on the bench when he is available, using all 5 subs but never bringing Bale on so it is again pathetic and dishonest of the media to feign outrage over his being unavailable for the game with Barcelona when the whole world and his dog know that he would not have played a minute anyway.
You seem very clued up on Bale, I’ll give it to you. I’m not really that bothered and actually like Bale as a player, it’s as much Real’s fault for giving him such a ridiculous contract, said so at the time. However I wouldn’t paint Bale completely innocent either the narrative didn’t just come out of nowhere. He didn’t actively try to leave when obviously wasn’t wanted, didn’t go to team bonding sessions, didn’t bother with the language, seemed to take forever with injuries..etc.
Some of the allegations are true but context is missing. He does speak Spanish just with a very heavy accent and so has said he prefers to use English. The team bonding stuff relates to late night get togethers organized by the players rather than anything the club arranged and he simply prefers to stay in with his wife and kids over partying. He did try to leave but the Zidane resignation and return muddied the waters and then when he did have a deal confirmed to leave the club turned around and changed their demands causing it to fall through.
Now to be fair, he has not helped himself much lately and so he is not entirely blameless but his attitude is largely in response to the way he feels he has been singled out and vilified by the media. The fact he gets so much hate in comparison to Hazard is laughable when you consider that even if things have now soured he still has over 100 goals for the club including match winning goals in CL finals, Classicos etc. compared to Hazard having done literally nothing there despite coming at a higher price.
He loves trolling Real Madrid and their supporters, it should hardly be a shock to anyone, especially him, that they think he’s a massive twat.
Will Real retire his number when he does leave or has he already done that himself?
He's played 270min for Real this season
1670min last season for spurs / 0 madrid
1260min the season before that
What's he trying to prove with that post? He is a leech in a way
1670min last season for spurs / 0 madrid
1260min the season before that
What's he trying to prove with that post? He is a leech in a way
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I'd put him as the top British player since 2000 as well
I don't know about top 5 ever, but he's in the conversation at least
I don't know about top 5 ever, but he's in the conversation at least
Yes, it’s clear that they hate him for personal reasons. But that doesn’t mean they can’t also have an issue with him as a player. They don’t like his all-round game very much. They had an issue with that even when he was doing okay for them. He’s obviously had amazing ‘moments’ for them but he’s a bit frustrating over 90 minutes. - Being an insufferable tosser doesn’t help either.
- He’s obviously excellent for Wales. Butyou could point to Lukaku there too. International football is a much lower level than top league and CL.
More for thread title ….parasite, sucker of Madrid money, troller of Real fans
More for thread title ….parasite, sucker of Madrid money, troller of Real fans
I'm not labelling him a parasite.Oh, go on
I am just glad United never signed him and can totally understand Madrids fans .
Not in the same bracket as true week in week out performers like Keane, Shearer, Gerrard and Rooney for me.
Not in the same bracket as true week in week out performers like Keane, Shearer, Gerrard and Rooney for me.
How many minutes has he been available for though? If he doesn't get picked that's not his issuesHe's played 270min for Real this season
1670min last season for spurs / 0 madrid
1260min the season before that
What's he trying to prove with that post? He is a leech in a way
Ahead of Rooney or giggs for example?
Bale hasn't been World Class since 2016.
Scoring goals for his NT won't change that
Scoring goals for his NT won't change that
I am surprised all three parties(RM, Spurs and Bale) couldn't reach an agreement for him to stay at Spurs. They could have made similar agreement like Arsenal with Auba, include let him leave for free and pay the difference of his Spurs salary for this season.
He's quite overrated. I'd have quite a few British players I've seen in my lifetime before Bale.
Great free kick though.
Great free kick though.
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Really? At his peak, I'd rather have him than peak Giggs (i know some will say that's sacrilege). To my mind, at his peak he's the best British player of the last thirty years. Maybe longer.
Really? At his peak, I'd rather have him than peak Giggs (i know some will say that's sacrilege). To my mind, at his peak he's the best British player of the last thirty years. Maybe longer.
Well who are the British players you would have over him then?
I can’t believe United supporters who watched a young Wayne Rooney week in and week out, would have Bale above him on an all time list.
Maybe it’s explained by the fact that Rooney stank up the place in his last few years and that people only remember Bale’s big moments and highlight packages.
Week in, week out though, there is no comparison for me. Rooney had it all for 8-9 years and was absolutely sensational at times. Like I said before, it is possible he has hundreds of better performances in his career than Bale. It’s not a small margin.
Bale wasn’t just dropped because managers didn’t fancy him or because of his attitude. There were many times for Madrid that he just wasn’t very good.
Still, a top player, but Rooney was a different class as a footballer.
Maybe it’s explained by the fact that Rooney stank up the place in his last few years and that people only remember Bale’s big moments and highlight packages.
Week in, week out though, there is no comparison for me. Rooney had it all for 8-9 years and was absolutely sensational at times. Like I said before, it is possible he has hundreds of better performances in his career than Bale. It’s not a small margin.
Bale wasn’t just dropped because managers didn’t fancy him or because of his attitude. There were many times for Madrid that he just wasn’t very good.
Still, a top player, but Rooney was a different class as a footballer.
Or Scholes. Or Ferdinand. Or Giggs or Beckham (even though you could argue the latter two really had their best seasons pre 2000s). I know football has changed but the only reason I could see that people would say Bale is better than Giggs (stylistically I suppose they were the most similar players) is either they weren't watching football in the 90s and early 2000s or time has dulled their memories of just how good Giggs was.
If you were to take British players on pure talent he's up there with George Best.
If you wanted a player who could reliably give you season after season of consistent performances and staying mostly injury free you wouldn't choose Bale
If you wanted a player who could reliably give you season after season of consistent performances and staying mostly injury free you wouldn't choose Bale
So many. Scholes. Rooney. Ferdinand. Come to mind immediately.
I mean Rio was among the best 2-3 CBs of his generation. Big moments here and there but Bale was never in that bracket.
He's also spent the last 3-4 performing about as well as Martial or Rashford at club level.