Former Real Madrid chief says it is "impossible" for Gareth Bale to stay at Bernabeu

Gareth Bale

The Wales international was left on the bench for Real Madrid’s final home game of the season on Sunday, a 2-0 defeat to Real Betis, and returned to the dressing room without acknowledging the fans at full-time.

Bale’s future has been the subject of much speculation since Zinedine Zidane returned to the Bernabeu bench, and the Frenchman did little to calm the waters post-match.

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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.