Five times Gareth Bale caused Real Madrid controversy without playing

Gareth Bale will join Major League Soccer high-flyers LAFC this summer upon the expiration of his Real Madrid contract.

Although he picked up an impressive string of trophies at the Santiago Bernabeu, Bale's time at Los Blancos has been dogged by questions over his attitude.

These have been magnified in recent seasons, when he has often been injured or out of form for Real Madrid but has managed to catch fire again when playing for Wales.

Back in February, for example, Bale was the centre of attention as he was caught chuckling when Eden Hazard was told to stop warming up and to return to the bench against Athletic Club. That wasn’t the first time that the Welshman has drawn the ire of Real Madrid fans while sitting among the substitutes.

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Seeing the funny side as Hazard sits down

The episode came during the second half of Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey trip to Bilbao, where they ultimately lost 1-0. In the second half, it appeared that Eden Hazard was going to be introduced, but then Carlo Ancelotti told the Belgian that he wouldn’t be needed and that he should stop warming up. As the former Chelsea man returned to the bench, Bale saw the funny side and soon saw his name back in the headlines.

Nap time against Alaves

At the end of the 2019/20 season, as football returned from the coronavirus lockdown, Bale hardly featured on Real Madrid’s road to the title. In one game against Alaves, he was seen using his facemask over his eyes as he seemingly dozed off, which wasn’t a great look.

His eyes were back open against Granada

Days after that Alaves game, Real Madrid went away to Granada and Bale was once again left on the bench. This time he was wide awake, almost too awake. The Welshman was very active on the makeshift bench in the stands of Granada’s stadium, making binoculars with his hands to again catch the photographers’ attention without stepping onto the pitch.

Laughing with Kroos during a defeat

While some of Bale’s sideline antics came during the coronavirus era, often in empty stadiums where it’s easier to be distracted, he was creating controversy even before then. In the final match of the 2018/19 campaign, as Real Madrid fell to a 2-0 home defeat against Real Betis, Bale and Kroos were spotted sharing a joke in the dugout with their team trailing by two.

Leaving the stadium early

Even when Bale hasn’t even made it to the bench, he has still on occasion managed to anger Madridistas. During the 2018/19 season, Spanish TV show El Chiringuito started monitoring when the players left out of the matchday squad were clocking out and leaving the stadium. The fact that Bale departed in the 78th minute of a Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad game in which his side were trailing 1-0 did not go down well.