LAFC

LAFC are the club that’s signed Gareth Bale in the MLS. I’ve just seen on Sky Sports News that their ‘Co-President & General Manager’ is none other than former town great JohnThorrington! Fair play to the guy, nice work if you can get it.

Quoted from Heisenberg

LAFC are the club that’s signed Gareth Bale in the MLS. I’ve just seen on Sky Sports News that their ‘Co-President & General Manager’ is none other than former town great JohnThorrington! Fair play to the guy, nice work if you can get it.

Bale probably highlighting that even whilst extremely rich, a pay day in LA is still better for him than the likely offer at Cardiff…and he doesn’t have to live in Cardiff…

As nice as Celtic Manor almost certainly is, I'd guess that there are some absolutely spectacular golf courses in California. I think that's the overriding factor in his decision-making at this point in his career.

Quoted from Maringer

As nice as Celtic Manor almost certainly is, I'd guess that there are some absolutely spectacular golf courses in California. I think that's the overriding factor in his decision-making at this point in his career.

Which is also very sad. I know he’s had little to do with the way Real have treated him, and many others over the years. I know he’ll finish his career with more medals than you can shake a stick at but I do wonder if Bale will be one of those players who could’ve been more. He rightfully stuck his contract and wanted Real to pay their way but I can’t help think he should’ve moved.

I’ve never been a big Bale fan but he has obviously got a lot of talent, when he did go back to Spurs he wasn’t really as effective as he probably wanted to be.

It all seems a bit of a mess in some aspects, but also looks like the perfect career in others.

When he was at Spurs, he just didn't look like he could be arsed from the bits I saw. Tries hard for Wales but I'd be wanting more if I was going to be paying him the amount of money he gets. If he couldn't be bothered when back at Spurs, there isn't anywhere that he'll really bust a gut. The really, really top-quality players can't help but work their socks off wherever they are playing.

From watching the European games mostly, I thought Bale was really good during his first couple of seasons at Real but then just seemed to lose interest, probably about the time that they tried to start moving him on as is the way with that club and their big earners.

I safer with that. Aside from folk like Ronaldo, the pattern at Real is to pay obscene cash, milk them dry and then move them on. Bale should’ve known this. Plenty could’ve told him.

His attitude at spurs on his return was questionable and perhaps the pedestal he was originally placed upon at spurs meant he went to Real expecting the same but in truth they never took to him. He then was a bit of a Shithouse back and whilst he’ll finish his career with millions and a boat load of medals, his attitude and the fact he clearly wasn’t prepared to take a pay cut in order to play says a lot.

As you say, the superstars will, generally want to play as many games as possible, if only to feed their ego…

Bale refused to learn Spanish whilst in Madrid, and did not mix with his team mates away from the Bernabeu such that the other players and Zidane eventually turned on him.

Never rated him personally, apart a few speculator goals, he always turned up for Wales, but for his clubs he was hit and miss.
Along with Pogba the most over rated players IMO, they turn up for their countries.

He's a quality player and he should've played more football than he has. He could've moved elsewhere when it became apparent he wasn't wanted at Real but chose to sit there.

I know it wasn't as simple as that, and there are always two sides to the story. But footballers' careers are short — he wouldn't have been short of a bob or two if he'd engineered his way out of Real. There would've been other top European clubs prepared to pay him good money to play.

Outstanding player for Wales, almost single-handedly wins them games. It's a mixed bag for me — can't help but think his talent (and many of his best days) have been totally wasted.

When you retire, you don't want to have any regrets. He'll probably look at his bank balance and medals and say he has none, but plenty of others will think and say otherwise.

Real and their fans deserve everything they got with Bale. Their entire model revolves around them being the biggest club in the world, yet they have one of the most toxic environments to play/work under. They constantly use the media to unsettle their transfer targets and they now have the gall to kick their toys out of the pram that there are teams that have more money than them despite decades of over expenditure. Horrible club, horrible fans...fuck 'em. Fair play Bale for rinsing them for all he could, I say.