5 reasons this could be Gareth Bale's last season at Real Madrid

#4 The criticism in Madrid hasn’t wavered

Real Madrid fans still boo Gareth Bale

No matter what he does, it seems, Bale can’t truly silence the critics - be it fans or the media. Even in his better spells, there was a desire to see more from the former Spurs man, and criticism was levelled at him that he simply does not do enough on the field.

A pulsating mass of muscle and physical power, Bale is often derided as purely that and little else. He’s seen as another luxury on a team that already has one in Cristiano Ronaldo.

There isn’t room for two, and Bale must offer more to the team in the long-run. It’s a fair concern too, especially given Bale offers little input into the team game.

Often, he’s on the periphery of games and fails to associate well enough on and off the ball. His running remains strong, and at times decisive - see the goal at Anoeta recently - but overall questions remain over Bale’s IQ on the field.