Gareth Bale laughs off Santiago Bernabeu whistles on Real Madrid return

Gareth Bale was able to laugh off a chorus of boos from the home fans as he made a long awaited return to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

The Welsh star has become a pariah in the Spanish capital in the last two seasons as he approaches the end of his contract in Madrid in June.

Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti opted to throw him on as a late substitute in their 2-0 La Liga win over Getafe with a first home appearance for the club since February 2020.

7️⃣7️⃣3️⃣ DAYS

That's how long it has been since Gareth Bale played at the Bernabéu.

He's expected to have minutes against Getafe, but how will the fans receive him?#LLL
🧡🇪🇦⚽️ pic.twitter.com/lzsBSSksVi

— La Liga Lowdown 🧡🇪🇸⚽️ (@LaLigaLowdown) April 9, 2022

However, he was greeted by a chorus of whistles after coming on to the pitch, but the veteran winger could not help himself by laughing at the reaction to his return.

Applause for Benzema, whistles for Bale in his first appearance in Bernabéu since the COVID outbreak! pic.twitter.com/x9JypR9GVU

— Nils Kern (@nilskern17) April 9, 2022

Applause for Benzema, whistles for Bale in his first appearance in Bernabéu since the COVID outbreak! pic.twitter.com/x9JypR9GVU

— Nils Kern (@nilskern17) April 9, 2022

Ancelotti has called on the fans to back Bale in his final weeks at the club – based on winning 13 major trophies in Madrid – with the Italian claiming the 32-year-old has been a model professional this season.