The curious case of Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez: Wrong place at the wrong time or just bad luck?
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Both of them were judged to achieve success at Real Madrid. Real Madrid immediately swooped for James Rodriguez and signed Gareth Bale after Neymar went to Barcelona. Both of them delivered in their initial seasons, but faded after it. Just what went wrong with the two and why are they better off elsewhere?
Where it started
Gareth Bale
Real Madrid and Barcelona are every young player’s dream destination. Though there has been the emergence of Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Juventus as final destinations, for the major part of two decades the Spanish giants dominated. Just like every young player, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez joined Real Madrid and hoped to prove the world their class. While it did start well for both of them, the ending couldn’t have been bitterer.
Both of them were outcasts by the time they left Real Madrid for greener pastures. Gareth Bale had a slew of injuries, which club captain Sergio Ramos explained was down to his playing style. He said that Bale generated so much pace and power while he runs that any and all contact would ensure some damage to his bones. All his injuries have been either to his thigh or hamstring and that proves Ramos’s statement. With all that injuries and the subsequent fallout with manager Zinedine Zidane, Bale knew that his time was over at Real Madrid.
In a win-win move for everyone, Real Madrid shifted Bale to Tottenham on a season-long loan. The wages he gets per week (€540,000) will be paid by Tottenham, so that’s a win for Real Madrid. Tottenham will get their star boy back and Bale will get the playing time and favoured position.
James Rodriguez
Rodriguez seems to have all the talent in the world but is a very sensitive player. He needs the care and nurture a parent gives to a child from his manager. That case is true as he succeeds wherever Carlo Ancelotti is. The latter has taken the former wherever he has gone, barring for Napoli. Be it bringing him to Real Madrid or taking him on loan when with Bayern or getting him for Everton. It left millions of fans shocked when Everton completed the signing of James Rodriguez. Not many thought that he would come to mid-table team like Everton, but Carlo Ancelotti was the deciding factor there.
Rodriguez has never had the support of Zinedine Zidane while playing for Real Madrid. In 2017 he was shipped off to Bayern Munich in a two season transfer deal. Then he barely got playing time in the 2019/20 season. It was a wise decision to leave Real Madrid in order to revive his career, and revive he did.
Rodriguez quickly became accustomed the demands of the Premier League and played the football that he is meant to play. Under Ancelloti, Rodriguez has a free attacking role with less obligation to defend. He operates in a midfield with Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure on his sides, who act as defensive midfielders here.
Hope for success
Bale has scored his first goal in the win against Brighton where he headed in a Sergio Reguilon cross. If he can avoid any more injuries, Bale can prove to the world why he is one of the most dangerous player to have played this game. James Rodriguez has found his touch and now has 3 goals and 3 assists in the Premier League. He is currently recovering from an injury and will soon return to play. It can be said that Real Madrid or more particularly Zinedine Zidane didn’t suit the duo. Now they can recapture the form they once showed and play some actual football.
Also read: Gareth Bale looks different after he made his Tottenham move says Wales caretaker Robert Page
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