Can Gareth “Bale” Real Madrid Out?

He’s not worth it. Wales’s international winger Gareth Bale, who recently completed a high-profile move from English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur to La Liga giants Real Madrid for a staggering fee of €100m ($132m or £85m) that made him the most expensive player in the history of the game, is not worth his transfer fee at all. I know that it’s uncanny for me to begin this blog with such a pessimistic approach, but the facts are plain, simple and as clear as water. He’s just not worth his world record fee.

Let’s not get things wrong. Gareth Bale is an exceptional player. He’s one of the fastest on the circuit, he’s got that morale-boosting aura that can lift a team when all hope seems lost (Remember his hat-trick against Inter Milan at the San Siro?) and not to forget he’s got a lethal left leg that can make any goalkeeper contemplate calling in sick before an important match. In fact, Bale is undoubtedly a player who any manager would die to have on their team. But when a team shells out money just to satisfy the “ego” of an individual, that’s when I draw the line between intelligence and lunacy.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is the “individual” whom I’m talking about. In some ways one can call him the “Real-messiah” due to that colossal reputation he’s earned of giving the fans what they want. He’s been known to have a history of acquiring elite footballers by paying extremely high prices. Some might call it his undying “passion” towards the club and the beautiful game while others might call it his dire need to satisfy his inflated “ego”. The debate is open and is something that will never end.

Reuters Photo

It was Perez’s bold initiative that led to the “Galacticos” era when the football fraternity was graced by the presence of Ronaldo, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos, Iker Casillas, and Co. playing for the same team at the same pitch all the same time. And it was when he began his second term as club President in 2009 that he first bought Kaka from AC Milan for £58 million before breaking an eight-year world record transfer fee deadlock to sign Man United’s Cristiano Ronaldo for £80 million.

Perez’s exploits are something that are known quite well in the footballing world and therefore when rumors started floating that Real Madrid would be willing to breach the €100m mark just to get Bale to play at the Bernabeu, no one seemed surprised. It was kind of like what else is new? However, what people started doing almost immediately was drawing up career statistics comparing Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale and whether or not the Welshman actually deserved his world record price tag.

Let’s look at the statistics ourselves, shall we? In his six seasons at Old Trafford, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 118 goals thereby leading the Red Devils to three Premier League titles, two Carling Cups, one FA Cup, one Community Shield and one Club World Cup. On the other hand Gareth Bale, in his six seasons at White Hart Lane, has scored just 55 goals without winning any elite championship. Not to be rude or anything, but Ronaldo scored 54 goals just last season with Madrid. That’s six seasons combined in one.

Also, during his tenure, Cristiano Ronaldo bagged one FIFA Ballon D'or, one World Player of the Year award, two PFA Player of the Year awards, one Young Player of the Year Award and two Fans Player of the Year Award (The list actually goes on but I’ve left out quite a few so that the die-hard Bale fans don’t get demoralized). However, Gareth Bale only bagged two PFA Player of the Year awards and one Young Player of the Year Award.

Another very interesting thing to note is the fact that Bale, unlike Ronaldo, is solely dependent on his left foot. Which is why his playing positions on the football field are limited. At most what he can do is do a to-and-fro between the left back and left wing positions. On the other hand Cristiano Ronaldo, who was once complimented by a commentator as being able to score with any part of his body, scored 54 goals last season with 29 goals off his right foot (excluding free-kicks and penalty-kicks), 16 with his left foot and 8 with his head.

Bale’s move has become one of the most talked about sagas in football history not just among the fans, but also among the football community. Leading coaches have openly condemned the move with new Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino going to the extent of calling it a “joke”. I don’t know what the problem with the world is. Real Madrid seem to have everything figured out. At a time when the world economy is in chaos and Spain is embroiled in a financial crisis that seems never-ending, for football club to take loans just to pay €100m for player who according to his own national coach is “injury-prone” and not “fit enough” to play a full 90-minute match makes "perfect" sense. Don’t you think so? ;)