Out-of-favour Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has been left out of the club’s matchday squad for their Champions League return tie at Manchester City.
Madrid take on City in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie on Friday and are trailing 2-1 from the first leg, with the Welshman left out of the 24-man squad entirely, as per Marca.
Another surprising aspect of the list is that the suspended Sergio Ramos – having been sent-off in the first leg – is included, meaning he will travel with the squad and attempt to provide inspiration for his teammates.
James Rodriguez and Mariano Diaz – two other out-of-favour attacking players who look set to leave Madrid this summer – are also both overlooked.
The Welshman has been a peripheral figure at Los Blancos this season and had been an unused substitute for five successive games before being left out of the matchday squad entirely in the final game against Leganes earlier this month.
Indeed, Bale has been in the headlines for his actions as a substitute recently – appearing to be sleeping during the win over Alaves while mimicking to be using binoculars from the stands in the recent triumph over Granada.
Bale has played just 1,261 minutes this campaign – the lowest of his stint in the Spanish capital – and has missed 13 games through injury while he was overlooked by boss Zinedine Zidane on a further 16 occasions.
This appears to be the latest nail in Bale’s proverbial coffin at Madrid, with his relationship with Zidane appearing to be increasingly frayed to the point of being irreparable.
The former Tottenham star does not appear to have a meaningful future at the club.
Real Madrid squad v Man City:
Goalkeepers: Courtois, Areola, Altube
Defenders: Carvajal, Militao, Ramos, Varane, Nacho, Marcelo, Mendy, Javi Hernández
Midfielders: Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Valverde, Isco
Forwards: Hazard, Benzema, Lucas Vázquez, Jovic, Asensio, Brahim, Vinicius, Rodrygo
