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Real Madrid president Florentino Perez was reportedly left fuming by Gareth Bale’s unprofessionalism and has instructed manager Carlo Ancelotti not to play the Welshman again.
Los Blancos’ highest-paid player was not available for selection in Sunday’s humiliating El Clasico defeat against Barcelona in La Liga. After the game, Ancelotti confirmed that Bale's absence was due to back pain. However, the very next day, Bale left Madrid to join up with Wales ahead of their FIFA World Cup playoff semi-final against Austria, infuriating Perez.
As per Nacional, Perez was left far from amused. The fact that Bale did not play for his club but was immediately available for selection for his country has made the Real Madrid president very angry. He has now reportedly ordered Ancelotti to keep the player on the bench till the end of the season.
Unless absolutely necessary, the 32-year-old might not wear the white jersey of Real Madrid again. Needless to say, Los Merengues are unlikely to extend the former Tottenham Hotspur star’s contract. That would pave the way for the four-time Champions League winner to depart as a free agent this summer when his deal runs out.
The right-winger has played only 270 minutes across competitions for Los Merengues this season, scoring once. Bale joined Madrid in 2013 for a then-world record fee of €100 million. Since then, he has gone on to register 106 goals and 67 assists in 256 appearances across competitions for Los Blancos. Despite a trophy-laden career in Madrid, Bale has had a strained relationship with the club hierarchy and Real Madrid fans in recent years.
Xavi's Barcelona crushes Real Madrid in El Clasico
On Sunday night, Xavi’s Barcelona secured an emphatic win over Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabeu. In Karim Benzema’s absence, the Whites were directionless in attack, never looking like breaching the Blaugrana rearguard.
Defensively, too, Madrid were all over the place as they struggled to deal with the pace and intensity of Barcelona’s attackers. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice, while Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres added one apiece to help Barcelona to a commanding 4-0 win in the capital.
The win did not have a tangible impact on the table, though, as Los Blancos still have a significant lead atop the league table. Ancelotti’s men have a nine-point lead over second-placed Sevilla. Barcelona, meanwhile, are third, 12 points adrift of Madrid, albeit with a game in hand.
