Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale has just revealed his plans for next season. He will return to Real Madrid for the final 12 months of his contract next season, he said a couple hours ago today.
Bale’s second stint at Tottenham, this one a loan deal, has been very up and down. He was initially delayed in even getting on the pitch due to fitness problems, and he’s dealt with nagging injuries and knocks somewhat since.
Gareth Bale says he plans on returning to Real Madrid this summer ? pic.twitter.com/LNb5k7NaJa
— GOAL (@goal) March 23, 2021
However, he has been playing regularly in recent weeks, and he even had a bit of purple patch recently. He is set to captain the Wales National Team at the European Championship, which kicks off June 11. After that, he will return to Madrid and see out the final year of his current deal.
“The main reason I came to Spurs this season was that I wanted to play football, first and foremost, but going into the Euros I wanted to be match fit too,” Bale said at a press conference.
“The original plan was only to do a season at Spurs and after the Euros I still have a year left at Real Madrid and my plan is to go back.”
Manager Jose Mourinho previously said, a couple weeks ago that it was going to be up to Madrid in regards to the future of the Welshman.
Bale held the title of most expensive player ever from 2013 (when Spurs then sold him to the Bernabeu) up until 2016 when Manchester United’s bringing back Paul Pogba eclipsed that transfer fee amount.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.