Gareth Bale might be happy at Tottenham Hotspur but he has never planned to remain at the club beyond the 2020-2021 season. The 31-year-old Welshman says he planned to spend a season at the Premier League club and then return to Real Madrid to see out his contract with the Spanish giants.
Gareth Bale returned to Tottenham Hotspur on September 19, 2020, on a season-long loan spell. His return to the club which he left on September 1, 2013, for a transfer fee worth €101 million, was seen as a means for the Wales international to rejuvenate his football career.
However, life under coach Jose Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur has not been as rosy as expected as the Wales international continually had reasons not to play in some vital matches.
Despite that, Gareth Bale told the press during a press conference on Tuesday, March 23, that he decided to return to Tottenham Hotspur on loan because he needed to play more regularly and gain more match fitness.
Recall that in his last two seasons at Real Madrid, Bale found it almost impossible to play for the Spanish giants. He became one of the players at the club Zinedine Zidane was not interested in.
Hence, the Wales international began to push for an exit from the club which he wasn’t able to get until the club was able to strike a loan deal with Tottenham Hotspur.
Though he was not able to fit into Jose Mourinho’s plan as automatically as expected, Gareth Bale showed a bit of brilliance in his return to the Premier League side but was not as consistent as expected.
Since his return to Spurs, Bale has managed to make 12 appearances in the Premier League in which he scored 5 goals and provided two assists. He has played 25 times in all competitions for Tottenham this season and he has scored a total number of 10 goals.
Recently, when Jose Mourinho was asked whether Tottenham Hotspur plan to extend Gareth Bale’s stay at Spurs, the Portuguese tactician said the future of Bale is not in the hands of Spurs but depends on Real Madrid.
On the part of Gareth Bale, the footballer stressed that he has never planned to remain Spurs’ player for long. He has already planned that he would return to Madrid after his season-long loan at the Premier League side.
“There’s no distraction for me,” Bale told a press conference ahead of Wales’ opening 2022 World Cup qualifier in Belgium. “I think the main reason I came to Spurs this year was to play football first and foremost.
“Going into the Euros I wanted to be match-fit. The original plan was to do a season at Spurs and after the Euros still have a year left at Real Madrid.
“I plan to go back, that’s as far I have planned.”
Good vibes ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/nGeDUAludf
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) March 2, 2021
Bale is expected to lead Wales to the 2022 FIFA World Cup which will be his first time in the competition. But first, he has to help the country to qualify for the tournament.
He was once quoted as saying that he does not mind swapping one of his four UEFA Champions League medals for an opportunity to play in the World Cup. This forthcoming edition of the tournament which will be hosted in Qatar is seen as Bale’s biggest and probably last chance to play in the competition.
