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What's the story?
Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has shed light on his relationship with former boss Zinedine Zidane, stating that they are not exactly close and haven't spoken to each other since last year's Champions League final against Liverpool.
In case you didn't know...
Zidane capped off his last season at Real Madrid by leading the side to their third consecutive Champions League title last summer.
Bale played a pivotal role in the victory, coming off the bench to score an incredible brace and helping Los Blancos to the European trophy.
Towards the end of Zidane's stint as manager, the Welsh forward found himself being reduced to a substitute, and behind the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
The French manager's departure was soon followed by Ronaldo's move to Juventus, paving the way for Bale to take on a much more important role in the squad.
The heart of the matter
Bale discussed his relationship with Zidane, revealing that the two have not been in talking terms since the Champions League final and he had no idea the Frenchman was going to leave.
Speaking to FourFourTwo, the former Spurs star said, "He didn’t talk to me about it – I still haven’t spoken to him since. Our relationship was good. I wouldn’t say we were best mates, it was just a normal professional relationship."
The Welshman went on to talk about his heroics in the final last May saying, "I've watched the goal back a couple of times and I didn't feel like I had a point to prove - I wanted to do it for myself and the team," he added."If you play in any final you want to be going home with the trophy, no matter what it takes."
"If it meant waiting to come on for the last 30 minutes, so be it. I was really frustrated not to start, as I'd played pretty well since coming back from the last little niggle I'd had in December. I scored five goals in my last four league games of the season and felt like I deserved to be involved from the start," said Bale.
What's next?
Real Madrid will hope to avenge their embarrassing Clasico defeat last year when they face Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final later tonight.
