‘We were not best mates’ – Bale makes shock admission on relationship with Zidane

Football
By Mirror | Feb 06, 2019
Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale and ex-boss Zinedine Zidane in a past match [Courtesy]

Gareth Bale admits he hasn't spoken to Zinedine Zidane since his stunning goal in the Champions League final.

The Welshman scored a sensational overhead kick as Real beat Liverpool in May to claim their third Champions League in a row.

Bale had started the encounter on the bench before scoring twice for Los Blancos.

Speaking after the match, he admitted his frustration at the snub and sparked doubts over his long-term future at Real under Zidane.

Within a matter of days, Zidane quit as manager but there has been no contact with Bale since the victory in Kiev.

“He didn’t talk to me about it – I still haven’t spoken to him since. I wouldn’t say we were best mates, it was just a normal professional relationship," he told FourFourTwo.

Bale scored twice in Zidane's last match in charge [Courtesy]

On his man of the match display in the final, Bale added: "I was really frustrated not to start. I was desperate to get onto that pitch. When I ran on I was still a bit angry, and that’s probably why I did what I did next.

“I’ve watched the goal back a couple of times. I didn’t feel like I had a point to prove – I wanted to do it for myself and the team."

Julen Lopetegui replaced Zidane but he didn't last long before Santiago Solari arrived with Real having a difficult campaign.

Bale has managed just five La Liga goals this term and faced a fan backlash but his agent insists he does not want to quit the European champions.

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