The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Gareth Bale

  • Bale ruled out of 2018 World Cup qualifiers

    Bale ruled out of 2018 World Cup qualifiers

    Wales forward Gareth Bale has been ruled out of their crucial last two 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Ireland due to a calf injury.

    Bale, who missed Real Madrid’s weekend league game against Espanyol, had arrived with the rest of the Wales squad on Sunday and attended an awards dinner in Cardiff.

    “But following dialogue with Real Madrid, Bale was sent for a scan and results confirmed that he wouldn’t be fit to feature,” the Football Association of Wales ( FAW ) said on Tuesday in a statement.

    “Barnsley striker Tom Bradshaw will now join up with the rest of the squad later today.”

    Bale is the most high-profile player in the Welsh side and the country’s hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup in Russia are still hanging in the balance.

    Chris Coleman’s team are second in Group D, four points behind leaders Serbia and one clear of Ireland in third.

    They take on hosts Georgia on Friday and host Ireland the following Monday in their final qualifier.

    Wales need to top the group to secure an automatic place in Russia but will go through to the playoffs if they finish second.

    Bale had been doubtful after Real manager Zinedine Zidane reported the player was suffering a small calf strain.

    The 28-year-old has scored 26 goals in 68 appearances for his country and was instrumental in their run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.

    NAN

  • Bale and Benzema launch new home and away kits Madrid

    Bale and Benzema launch new home and away kits Madrid

     

    Real Madrid have launched their new home and away kit as they start preparations ahead of the 2017-18 season.

    The home shirt features whiter than last season with three blue stripes along the shoulders, which are supposed to represent the sky of the Spanish capital.

    The away shirt sees a return to black, which Los Blancos have experienced success in before, most notably winning the Champions League in it in 2000. A neon turquoise badge and cuffs gives the kit a unique look.

    A memorial stamp at the bottom of both jerseys commemorates the club’s 115th anniversary.

    It means Real Madrid will say goodbye to the striking purple kit of the last campaign, which they wore when winning the Champions League earlier this month in a 4-1 victory over Juventus in Cardiff.

    Gareth Bale was on hand to model the new kits alongside team-mates Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, Marcelo, Isco and Nacho with manager Zinedine Zidane also making an appearance in the new tracksuit.

    Climacool fabric will ensure players remain comfortable and perform at their best even as the temperature gauge rises. The kit is made from a brand new material that is designed to feel softer during exercise and day-to-day wear.

    Their new shirts have a lot to live up to in terms of legacy with Real Madrid set to go into the new season as La Liga and European champions after an incredibly successful season under Zidane.

    They sealed their first La Liga title since 2012, holding off Barcelona with a win over Malaga on the final day of the season before beating Juventus to become the first team to retain the Champions League since its rebrand in 1992.

  • Bale: I’m taking my pals down the pub if we win

    Bale: I’m taking my pals down the pub if we win

     

    Gareth Bale  will launch a campaign for Real ale if he’s celebrating Champions League glory tomorrow night.

    The Welsh superstar hopes to be the toast of his home town Cardiff if Real Madrid can see off Juventus.

    And the £86m former Tottenham ace reckons he knows the perfect place to introduce his fellow Galacticos to the delights of British beer should they become the first side in history to successfully defend the Champions League.

    While Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Co may be more accustomed to celebrating their career highs in glitzy venues across Europe, Bale is planning something slightly less glamorous… an evening in his own Cardiff bar.

    He said: “I know where I’d want to celebrate. Take the team back to Elevens Bar & Grill and have a few beers.”

    Since becoming the most famous Welsh footballer on the planet, special murals of him have popped up around the city.

    “It’s a bit strange obviously. Growing up in Cardiff and just being a normal Cardiff boy… then seeing massive drawings of you on walls in the street.”

  • Bale ruled out of Champions League semis

    Bale ruled out of Champions League semis

    Real Madrid will have to reach this year’s Cardiff Champions League final without Gareth Bale after the club confirmed he has a ‘grade-two’ lower calf strain in his left leg.

    Bale was desperate to play his part in the double-header against Atletico Madrid knowing a European Cup final in his hometown awaits if Real Madrid are victorious.

    But now it appears he will be watching from the sidelines after the club confirmed the latest in a long line of injury setbacks. There is no official timescale but it is understood he will need between two and three weeks to get back to fitness.

    Bale dislocated his right ankle last November and missed three months following surgery and his comeback has been hampered by a new injury in the other leg.

    The fresh blow comes just as he was bearing the brunt of Real Madrid’s post-Clasico fall-out with much of Spain’s media suggesting he should never have played the fixture because he was not properly fit.

    Bale is a big-game player and if he can shake off this latest injury then his team-mates fully expect him to be as decisive in the final weeks of the season as he was in 2014 and 2016.

    There is still time for him to return for Madrid’s final three matches in the league and play a major part in Cardiff in what will be his third Champions League final in four years if Real Madrid get past Atletico.

    But if that is not the case, then the criticism will continue to grow, for Bale, and even more so for Zidane for picking him when he was clearly not fit to play such an important game.

  • Bale a doubt for Bayern Munich rematch

    Bale a doubt for Bayern Munich rematch

    Gareth Bale will miss Real Madrid’s trip to Sporting Gijon on Saturday, and faces a race to be fit for their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

    Zidane’s men are away to Sporting on Saturday, a match which will be followed by two crucial games in the space of a week.

    The second leg of Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich takes place just three days later, before Barcelona visit Santiago Bernabeu for El Clasico next Sunday.

    Bale suffered a minor but ill-timed muscular injury in his calf that led to him being replaced by Marco Asensio in the second half of Wednesday’s first-leg win against Bayern and will be given every chance to recover for the huge double-header.

    “Gareth is not going to be with us against Sporting, that is clear,” Zidane said at his pre-match media conference.

    “It is true I am worried because I don’t like to see people injured – especially at the end of the season. We are not going to risk him.

    “We will see what happens after that. What is sure is that he definitely has some sort of injury.

    “What we have to do is see on a day-to-day basis how his injury reacts. He won’t be with us and we will see what happens for next Tuesday. We are taking it game by game.

    “We hope he is back with us in a short time. It is a muscular problem in his soleus, that is where is has been operated on before [with his ankle injury].”

    Zidane revealed Bale was rightly taking a calm approach to the injury blow, while revealing Fabio Coentrao could make only his second league appearance of the season against Sporting.

    The Madrid boss added: “Bale is OK. He is not in a bad way.

    “He is happy, but of course wants to play. He was really excited to be playing after the three months out but he knows at the same time it is nothing too significant.

    “It is a setback after three months away but it is nothing too damaging. So let’s see if we can get over it. He has got to be calm and I think he is.

    “Fabio is going to be with us. Perhaps he is a little bit hard on himself at times. But he is in good shape and he has got the possibility of even playing.

    “You will see how we are going to play but he is in the squad, happy and training well without any problems.”

  • Bale to open sports bar in Cardiff

    Bale to open sports bar in Cardiff

     

     

    Gareth Bale has spoken of his delight at being able to open up a sports bar in his hometown of Cardiff.

    The Real Madrid forward, who earns £350,000 a week at the Spanish giants, will open up the restaurant in the near future.

    Bale has told Dugout he is hoping the venue will be the ideal location for sports fans to eat and drink while they enjoy watching a variety of games.

    Over a year in the making and now thrilled to be able to announce on St. David’s Day the upcoming opening of my new Sports Bar in Cardiff, @elevensbargrill #Elevens

    He is hoping that his bar and grill restaurant will serve the best burger in Cardiff when ‘Elevens’ opens in the city centre.

    Bale has named the bar ‘Elevens’, which will open in late Spring or early summer, because he wears the number on his shirt for both Real Madrid and Wales.

    ‘It has been a big goal and ambition of mine to open a sports bar for many years and I feel Cardiff provides the perfect location,’ said Bale.

    ‘There isn’t a venue quite like this, where you can go to watch live sport on Ultra HD 4K TVs with amazing food and drink, all within a modern, relaxed and family-friendly environment.

    ‘We hope to have the best burger in Cardiff and really looking forward to getting people in to enjoy the experience.’

    Bale grew up in Wales before joining Southampton at the age of nine in 1999.

    He then went onto seal a move to Tottenham before signing for Real Madrid in what was a world record £86million deal.

  • Bale returns with a bang!

    Bale returns with a bang!

     

    Gareth Bale took just 13 minutes to mark his Real Madrid comeback with a goal after 88 days out injured.

    The Cardiff Express came on with 20 minutes left and just 13 minutes later pulled away from Espanyol’s defence on to Isco’s pass to draw the keeper and slot the ball into the far corner in Real Madrid’s 2-0 win.

    Madrid have missed the pace, power and precision of their most expensive all-time signing. He injured tendons in his right ankle on November 22 and was operated on in London on November 29.

    But all that was behind him as he left the Espanyol  defence behind to seal three points for Real Madrid and send the team four points clear at the top with a game in hand.

    Bale tweeted in midweek that he could not wait to return after Madrid’s home win over Napoli – a game he had asked to play in. Zidane resisted the temptation without any problems and was rewarded with a goal.

    He is now on course to play from the start in three very difficult away games for Real Madrid in the next three weeks –

    Villarreal next weekend, Eibar seven days later, and Napoli in the San Paolo stadium on March 7.

  • Bale moves closer to Madrid return

    Bale moves closer to Madrid return

    Gareth Bale’s two-month injury lay-off could be coming to an end as he nears a first-team return, according to Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.

    The Wales star has been sidelined since November after picking up an ankle injury during a Champions League win over Sporting Lisbon.

    Bale underwent surgery to cure the problem, and Zidane believes he will be able to call upon the former world-record signing as he steps up his recovery process.

    Speaking after Madrid’s 3-0 win over Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu, the Frenchman said: ‘Bale? He’s now [working] on the pitch with his boots.’

    Victory on Sunday saw the Champions League holders extend their lead at the top of La Liga to four points, and Zidane admitted it was a crucial win.

    Goals from Mateo Kovacic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata eased Real to their 14th win of the season and stretched their lead over Barcelona and Sevilla with a game in hand.

    Luis Enrique’s side leapfrogged La Liga’s surprise package into second place, despite being held to a draw by Real Betis.

  • Ronaldo wins UEFA Best Player award

    Ronaldo wins UEFA Best Player award

    Real Madrid superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, has won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award for the second time.

    Ronaldo, 31, claimed the prize ahead of his club team-mate, Gareth Bale and Atletico Madrid star, Antoine Griezmann, at a gala event held in Monaco on Thursday, Goal reports.

    The forward, who first won the award in 2014, scored the winning spot-kick as Real Madrid beat Atletico in the Champions League final on penalties in May,

    He also led Portugal to victory in the European Championship in June, scoring three goals during the tournament.

  • Yaya Toure, 22 others shortlisted for Ballon d’Or

    Yaya Toure, 22 others shortlisted for Ballon d’Or

    Manchester City midfielder, Yaya Toure, is the only African nominated for football’s top individual accolade, the 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or.

    The Ivorian midfielder is among a 23-man shortlist released by FIFA on Tuesday, africanFootball.com reports.

    Toure is joined on the list by four time winner Lionel Messi, current holder Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester City teammate, Sergio Aguero.

    The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Zurich, Austria on January 11, 2016.

    The Full list:

    Sergio Aguero (Argentina/Manchester City)

    Gareth Bale (Wales/Real Madrid)

    Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)

    Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid)

    Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/VfL Wolfsburg/Manchester City)

    Eden Hazard (Belgium/Chelsea)

    Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden/Paris Saint-Germain)

    Andres Iniesta (Spain/FC Barcelona)

    Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid)

    Robert Lewandowski (Poland/FC Bayern Munich)

    Javier Mascherano (Argentina/FC Barcelona)

    Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona)

    Thomas Muller (Germany/FC Bayern Munich)

    Manuel Neuer (Germany/FC Bayern Munich)

    Neymar (Brazil/FC Barcelona)

    Paul Pogba (France/Juventus)

    Ivan Rakitic (Croatia/FC Barcelona)

    Arjen Robben (Netherlands/FC Bayern Munich)

    James Rodriguez (Colombia/Real Madrid)

    Alexis Sanchez (Chile/Arsenal)

    Luis Suarez (Uruguay/FC Barcelona)

    Yaya Toure (Cote d’Ivoire/Manchester City)

    Arturo Vidal (Chile/Juventus/FC Bayern Munich)