Gareth Bale's absence against Manchester City shows how far he has fallen at Real Madrid

Out in the cold: Gareth Bale
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Ben Hayward6 August 2020

When Real Madrid's squad for the Champions League last-16 second leg against Manchester City was announced on Wednesday, Gareth Bale's name was not on the 24-man list.

Coach Zinedine Zidane will 12 substitutes for the game at the Etihad Stadium (of which five can be used) and has called up eight forwards for the crunch clash with Pep Guardiola's side. And still there was no room for the Welshman.

Bale's exclusion came as a surprise, but perhaps it should not have. The 31-year-old made just two appearances in Real Madrid's last 11 LaLiga games after lockdown and none at all in the final seven fixtures.

He was left out altogether as Los Blancos drew 2-2 at Leganes on the final day. "A technical decision," Zidane said.

A strategic one, more likely. Zidane is keen to sell Bale in the summer and leaving him out of the squad for Butarque was a clear indication to the player and his entourage that he has no part in the Frenchman's future plans.

In that respect, Zidane's decision to exclude the winger for Friday night's game in Manchester is at least consistent.

With Bale's agent recently claiming that his client would be happy to stay and see out the remainder of his contract in Madrid, Zidane is showing the former Tottenham attacker in no uncertain terms that he has other ideas.

But Madrid's Champions League hopes are on the line as they seek to overcome a 2-1 first-leg deficit in Manchester and it might have been wise to have Bale on the bench on Friday night.

The Welshman was Madrid's standout player in the semi-final win over City in 2015-16 and impressed as Los Blancos thrashed Guardiola's Bayern Munich 4-0 at the Allianz Arena en route to La Decima in 2014.

His 2019-20 form may be well below those levels and his attitude has also been questioned, but that may be partly due to how he is being treated by his club and his coach.

Zidane has never not won the Champions League in his short coaching career, but needed some Bale brilliance from the bench in Kiev to see off Liverpool in his last decisive match in the competition.

Real require goals on Friday and while Bale has only three this season, the Welshman does have more than 100 overall for Real – including many important ones.

In Pictures | Gareth Bale at Real Madrid

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With five substitutes able to get on due to post-pandemic rules, Eden Hazard reportedly short of full fitness and Vinicius Junior still erratic in front of goal, Bale would surely have been a better option than Lucas Vazquez or Brahim Diaz in Manchester.

His absence altogether has sparked debate in Spain and if Madrid are eliminated on Friday, Zidane's decision to leave him out is bound to be placed under even greater scrutiny.