Rio Ferdinand slams Real Madrid for Gareth Bale treatment
Karan Tejwani
- 14 Jun 2022 15:32 BST
- 3 min read
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand claims Gareth Bale was mistreated by Real Madrid in his final few years at the Spanish club.
The Welshman finally left the club this summer after a tumultuous ending to his career at the Santiago Bernabeu, having spent the previous campaign out on loan at former club Tottenham.
The last few years saw Bale jeered by his own supporters for his apparent lack of willingness shown to the club, and he was criticized by fans and media alike.
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Ferdinand, though, has come to Bale’s defence, as he spoke on the Vibe with Five podcast about Bale’s time at the club "That's where I think there was a lack of loyalty, I just feel like he's been painted as this caricature that has been the negative and the bad egg in that dressing room.”
The former defender said Bale wasn’t protected enough by the club and criticized their stance: "The guy has put up some of the most iconic moments in Real Madrid history in some of the biggest games that are possible to be had at club level, and he was being ushered out under a blanket and told 'don't come back'.
Ferdinand said Real Madrid should’ve been more assertive in the support of their player, and that they didn’t do enough to make Bale feel more loved at the club.
Five-time Champions League winner Gareth Bale shining for Real Madrid ⚽️@GarethBale11 | #UCL pic.twitter.com/99Pc4kAIjJ
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 6, 2022
"The lack of respect is unreal, I can't believe it. If there's fans or whoever that feel a certain way about him, the club should be overriding and saying 'no, you come with us, we support you,' and 'what he’s done for us, will never ever be forgotten'.
"It's a joke, it's four Champions Leagues he's won. I was there against Liverpool, the overhead kick, the geezer was doing stuff that was just like blowing your mind."
Ferdinand later added that he felt Bale may have been so disrespected because he couldn’t speak the language, and that ultimately was a problem.
It’s unclear where Bale will be playing his football next season: clubs such as Tottenham and Cardiff City have been linked with moves, but nothing has come off it yet as the Welshman tries to keep up his fitness ahead of the World Cup.
