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What's the news?
Former Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart believes that Gareth Bale should leave the Los Blancos and move back to the Premier League.
In case you didn't know...
Big things were expected from Gareth Bale when he joined Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur for a then world record transfer fee of £85.3 million in 2013.
However, injuries hampered his growth at Madrid and he never managed to reach the same level of heights he was once touted to achieve at the Bernabeu. The Welshman has played 221 games for the Los Blancos thus far, scoring 101 goals.
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The 29-year-old was linked with a move away from the club in the recent months and could finally end his spell with the club in summer.
On the other hand, Rafael van der Vaart played 73 games in all competitions for the Los Blancos between 2008-2010 and won one Supercopa de Espana during his time at the club.
The Dutchman announced his retirement from the professional football in 2018 and played for five different clubs after leaving Madrid in 2010.
The heart of the matter
Speaking to Cadena Sar (via Goal), Rafael van der Vaart suggested Gareth Bale that making a return to the Premier League could be better for his career.
“I am a little surprised at what is happening at Real Madrid with Gareth Bale.
“He is a very good player, he is not Cristiano [Ronaldo] or [Lionel] Messi, he is not a regular, he always plays well and there is more pressure than at Tottenham. I think that's a problem for him.
“Going to succeed in another place? It may be best but I think he wants to stay at Real Madrid and play more.
“But a team like United or a return to Tottenham could be better for him because people in England are different to those in Spain.”
The Dutchman also believes that Gareth Bale is a bit lonely inside the team.
“Bale is a very calm player, he wants to be alone, he does not have much contact with his team-mates.
“It is important, though, to speak Spanish in Spain and I think that he is a bit lonely inside the team.
“When he plays well nothing happens, but if he plays badly then you have problems.”
What's next?
Real Madrid will play Barcelona in the league next before hosting Ajax at the Bernabeu for the second leg of the Champions League round-of-16 tie on March 3.
