Gareth Bale: The executioner of Liverpool in 2018 who wants to say goodbye to Real Madrid with his fifth Champions

The imposing city of kyiv, today unfortunately covered in a warlike atmosphere, welcomed the enormous white jubilation that broke out on May 26 like yesterday, but from 2018, when the real Madrid won 3-1 over Liverpool in a beautiful Champions League final. Gareth Bale He was the true protagonist of that night. Unexpectedly, the Welshman emerged as the great merengue hero with a brace that earned him the tournament title. Now, in Paris, the ‘Cardiff Express’ has entered Carlo Ancelotti’s list for a new final against the ‘Reds’ and wants to say goodbye to Real Madrid by touching glory like four years ago.

That time, things had become a bit complicated for Real Madrid in the Ukrainian capital. The partial tie (1-1) did not guarantee anything. But Gareth Bale broke the account in an impressive way. The acrobatic image of the extreme chalaca for the second merengue goal (64 ‘) has been immortalized in the hearts of football lovers. It was a great goal.

Minutes later (83′), the Welshman ended up becoming Liverpool’s executioner with the third goal, after a powerful shot at the rival goal that entered with the complicity of Loris Karius (on his worst day), which sentenced Real to victory Madrid. And so, from the bench, came the historic coronation of those led by Zinedine Zidane and, why not? for those of Carlo Ancelotti it could also be the same.

The chances of adding minutes in a final, after having played almost nothing during the season, are slim. But if Ancelotti has included Bale in the list, it is not for pleasure. The Welshman can be the amulet of the Italian coach, because, beyond his misunderstandings at the club, he is still a special player.

In recent training sessions, at least, the Welshman has shown that he continues to enjoy a unique quality. And, if he has the opportunity, he will try to score in Saturday’s final, as he did with Atlético de Madrid in 2014 and against Liverpool in 2018. In fact, if he manages to celebrate again against the ‘Reds’, he could join Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to score in three different finals.

By the back door?

Thanks to the personal feat of 2018, Gareth Bale – quietly – could have inscribed his name in the most glorious pages of the white club as the ‘hero of kyiv’, but the image with which he is leaving is completely different.

To begin with, the Real Madrid decided to disburse 101 million euros -only for Eden Hazard he paid more (115 million)- to have the Welshman’s services since September 2013, which at that time became the most expensive signing in football history.

At first, of course, the operation represented an investment, but not an expense. And it is that the Madridista project of signing him was made solely to succeed. In fact, his first years with the white club were quite promising, integrating one of the most lethal tridents in the world with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

In your showcase, in addition, you can show off 18 titles with Real Madrid, among which four Champions League and three Leagues stand out. As for individual records, he has not done badly either: he scored 106 goals and gave 67 assists in the 258 games who has played

All this has been clouded in recent years by the Welshman’s unique attitude that leaves much to be desired in Real Madrid, in addition to a series of injuries, which have largely been suspicious.

His distance from Real Madrid has also intensified due to his lack of commitment. Three years ago, for example, Gareth celebrated the classification of his team to Euro 2020 with a controversial banner that said “Wales, golf and football, in that order”which was not taken in a good way in the Spanish capital.

It is from all this that Bale has become expendable for Real Madrid. If not, we would have to see his records for the current season: he has barely played seven games between all competitions in which he only celebrated one goal. In total, he has only played 290 minutes all season, which has never happened before in his career.

At 32 years old, nine of them at Real Madrid, Gareth will have to say goodbye to the ‘White House’. His contract expires on June 30 and there is no intention of the club to renew him. The Welshman has been part of the glorious history of the club, but a large part of Real Madrid is keeping the negative image of recent years.

So bad is the current reputation of the Welshman that he was rejected by Atlético de Madrid itself, the archrival of the same city of the merengues, after his representatives offered him as a free agent.

In addition, Gareth Bale, despite everything, has not been able to say goodbye to the Santiago Bernabéu. He was not present in the match against Espanyol that liquidated Real Madrid’s championship in LaLiga, nor was he a few days ago against Real Betis.

In Paris, in a new final against Liverpool, it will be the last great opportunity for the Welshman to say goodbye with a fifth ‘Orejona’ in his personal account, but the truth seems quite complicated for him to even enter the final list of the match. Be that as it may, and whatever happens tomorrow Saturday, he had everything to say goodbye as a legend; he just didn’t want to do it. Still, few will forget him. He has left his mark in different ways.