Gareth Bale appears to have had a little dig at Cristiano Ronaldo when asked how things are different at Real Madrid following his shock summer departure.
After becoming disillusioned at Real despite winning yet another Champions League, the 33-year old ended his nine-year, trophy-laden stint in the Spanish capital by joining Juventus in a £99 million move.
Real Madrid didn’t replace him with a marquee summer signing but Bale believes the reigning Champions League winners are working more as a unit without the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Obviously it’s going to be a little different from having such a big player there,” he told the Daily Mail.
“It’s maybe a bit more relaxed, yes. I suppose there is more of a team, more working as one unit rather than one player.”
With three goals in four La Liga games so far, Bale has started this season in the same way he finished the last campaign – when he came off the bench to score two against Liverpool as Real won the Champions League for the third year on the trot.
He scored a sensational overhead kick mere minutes after entering the fray and admitted being a substitute angered him.
“Angry. Quite angry, to be honest,” the Welshman admitted. “Obviously, I felt I deserved to start the game. I’d been scoring goals. So yeah, I suppose it was hard to put the anger aside.”
Bale’s sublime goal may well be the greatest goal scored ever in the Champions League, though it didn’t make the UEFA goal of the season poll because Ronaldo’s worldie against Juventus in the quarter final, scored in the exact same minute, got in instead.
The former Spurs man couldn’t possibly comment on whether his or Ronaldo’s acrobatic volley was better, but couldn’t comprehend how he wasn’t on the UEFA list.
“I don’t know how it wasn’t on that list!,” he quipped.
“I want to know who is on the panel because they want to be sacked.”
Sportbible.com