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MADRID (Reuters) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said he didn’t say anything to Gareth Bale before leaving to sign for Tottenham Hotspur, but insisted he had no personal problems with the Welsh forward and praised what he did. made by the Spanish club.
Bale traveled to London on Friday to make a return to Tottenham on loan after seven years at Real that witnessed a remarkable streak of trophies and goals, but ended with the player barely represented at the end of last season.
“I did not speak to him,” Zidane said at a press conference ahead of Real Madrid’s first away game against Real Sociedad on Sunday, where the title defense will begin.
“But I know what he has done for this club. He always showed his quality and what he has achieved with the club cannot be disputed.”
While Bale was key to Real Madrid winning the 2016 Champions League in Zidane’s first season, he was absent for most of the second season with injuries and never managed to re-establish himself as the Frenchman’s starting player, even after scoring two goals. in the 2018 final against Liverpool.
But Zidane disagreed with the perception 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.
“Things will always happen. Now he is making a change, the only thing we can do is wish him the best … These things happen in football, but I have always said that he was a spectacular player.”
There will now be more expectations for Real Madrid’s most expensive player, Eden Hazard, whose debut season was marred by two ankle injuries.
The Belgian did not enter the list of summoned before the Society, nor his partner Marco Asensio.
“We have more time to prepare for the season and all you need to do is make sure he is 100 or 120% fit,” Zidane added about Hazard.
However, Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard has been inducted into the squad and could make his first league appearance with Real since 2015, having returned after a successful year on loan with the Society.
(Reporting by Richard Martin; Editing by Ian Chadband)
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