'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has said that Gareth Bale will bid farewell to the club after their UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool on May 28.
The Welshman could make his final appearance in their fabled white colours in the Paris showpiece next Saturday before departing for newer pastures. He couldn't make it to their last La Liga game of the season against Real Betis on Friday. However, Ancelotti has said that the upcoming Champions League final will give him Bale last chance.
Speaking at a virtual press conference after the Betis game last night, the Italian manager said (via Realmadrid.com):
“He wasn't on the bench tonight because he wasn't fit. He wanted to say farewell to the fans here at the stadium. He's got one last chance because he'll be fit for the final.”
The 2022 Champions League final is a rematch of Real Madrid's 2018 showdown with the Reds in Kiev, where Bale had arguably the best match of his career.
He struck twice in their 3-1 win, including a spectacular bicycle kick, as Los Blancos completed a historic 'three peat' in the competition. Unfortunately for him, things have gone downhill since then. Bale fell out of favour with the club, spending more time on the bench and in the treatment room than on the field.
Bale returned to Tottenham Hotspur on loan last season and scored 16 goals in 34 games, but that didn't help him revive his Real Madrid career.
He has only made seven appearances this season, including five in the league, and scoring just once, as injuries reared their ugly head on the 32-year-old again.
It would be a memorable farewell if Bale is able to pull off more heroics in the final by bagging a goal or two and helping his side to more European glory.
Greth Bale will leave as a Real Madrid legend
Since his €100 million transfer in 2013, Bale has had a turbulent period in the Spanish capital, but he will still go down as a club legend. In 258 games, the Welshman has struck 106 goals and made 67 assists, lifting 15 titles.
Some of his best moments include the cup-winning goal in the 2014 Copa Del Rey final, a goal in the 2014 Champions League final, a double in the 2018 final and a hat-trick in the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup semifinal.
The last few years at Real Madrid have been difficult for him, but Bale has given them some of the most incredible moments in their recent history.
