MADRID (SPAIN) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said he did not speak anything to Gareth Bale before leaving to sign for Tottenham Hotspur. He clarified that he had no personal issue with Bale and complimented what he did for the Spanish club.
Bale travelled to London on Friday so as to finalise an entry to Tottenham on loan after seven years at Real.
Zidane told a news conference ahead of Real’s first game in La Liga away to Real Sociedad on Sunday, “I did not speak to him.”
“But I know what he has done for this club. He always proved his quality and what he has achieved with the club cannot be argued with.”
While Bale played an important role in Real’s victory in the 2016 Champions League in Zidane’s first season, he could not be present in most of the second campaign due to injuries and struggled to re-establish himself as a first-choice player for the Frenchman.
Zidane, however, disagreed with the presumption that he forced Bale out.
“It’s not like that. It’s more complicated. With Bale it’s always about one side against the other. But I’ve never had a problem with Gareth.
“There will always be things that happen. Now he’s making a change, all we can do is wish him the best… These things happen in football, but I’ve always said he was a spectacular player.”
