Gareth Bale returned to Real Madrid this summer after a season out on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, and has looked revitalised under the stewardship of Carlo Ancelotti. He’s currently on international duty with Wales, preparing to take on Belarus on Sunday in a key World Cup qualifier for Qatar 2022.
Speaking in comments carried by Diario AS, Bale made it clear that he’s enjoying being back in the Spanish capital and working with Ancelotti after enduring a tense relationship with his predecessor, Zinedine Zidane. The Welshman has played in all three of Madrid’s La Liga games this season and scored a goal.
“I’ve always had a great relationship with Carlo, but it’s still the same in the sense that you have to forget that and give your all for the team,” he said. “I had a good pre-season and a good start to the season, and it’s always nice to be in a good environment. That’s the main reason I went to Tottenham, as I knew it would be a good environment for me. It was a break I needed at the time, and I had a great time. It got me back to a happier place, and I think that showed again when I played for Wales at Euro 2020 and when I returned to Madrid this season.”
Bale contributed 20 goals and eleven assists in the Premier League last season, despite Tottenham enduring a below-par campaign. The last time he hit double figures in a league campaign at the Santiago Bernabeu was in 2017/18, the same season he scored the crucial goal in the victorious Champions League final against Liverpool in Kiev.