Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is still reportedly unhappy about Gareth Bale’s record-breaking transfer to Real Madrid according to Jonathan Northcroft of the Sunday Times. Northcroft admits that he was asked not to mention Bale’s transfer fee during an interview with the player and believes that Real are trying to keep things sweet with Ronaldo by not hurting his ego.
Bale moved to Real Madrid from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspurs in the summer of 2013 for an estimated transfer fee of £85.3 million which shattered the world record for the most expensive transfer. The previous record was held by the Madrid giants when they had signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for £80 million in 2009.
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The speculation of a fallout between the pair had grabbed headlines last year when Ronaldo refused to celebrate on a few occasions whenever Bale scored a goal for Los Blancos. And now in an interview with BBC 5Live, Sunday Times correspondent Jonathan Northcroft admits that he was told not to include anything about Bale’s transfer in the interview because it upsets Ronaldo.
"Real Madrid are a club so worried about image that when I interviewed Bale it was requested to me, ‘don’t put in the transfer fee, don't put in the article how much Gareth Bale cost’,” said Northcroft. "The reason for that is because it was a world-record transfer fee but Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't like to see that someone else cost more than him.”
Asked if he mentioned the transfer fee in his published article, Northcroft replied: “No.”
Bale’s agent, Jonathan Barnett had admitted that Bale targets to become the world’s best player and dismissed rumours of a bust-up with his teammate.
“Gareth is a great footballer, he doesn’t want anything more. He has some very good endorsements but his whole life is to be the best footballer in the world. I don’t think he wants to be the best model in the world or the best underwear seller. That’s not him,” he said.
Rafael Benitez had dismissed rumours of hatred between the players
Former Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez was asked the same question by the media during his initial days as manager of the club but he had clearly dismissed all rumours by telling that the mood in the camp was positive and that the players had nothing against each other.
While speaking on a Spanish radio station Onda Cero, he had said, "There is no problem between Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. The both of them are very good players and both want to win. The Real Madrid dressing room is much better than people think."
Benitez’s sacking comes as a huge blow to Bale as he had thrived under the Spaniard this season. The rising speculation about the bust-up with Ronaldo might force Real to let him go and he is sure to find suitors back in England where he made his name as a player.
