Gareth Bale exit from Real Madrid confirmed, return to England likely

Gareth Bale will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season with a return to English football likely, the 32-year-old’s agent confirmed on Monday.

Speaking to Diário Record, Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett said, “Gareth will leave Real Madrid. His return to English football is likely, I think – but his future now depends on Wales and their playoff games for the World Cup.”

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While it isn’t immediately clear how the World Cup playoff game against Scotland or Ukraine will affect the winger’s club football future, Bale’s departure from Madrid does not come as a surprise.

The Welshman had joined Los Blancos in 2013 for a world-record fee of €100 million and was prolific for the Spanish giants: in his time with the club, Bale scored a 106 goals and provided 67 assists in 256 appearances.

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Bale also helped Real Madrid to several trophies: the Welshman holds 14 trophies with Los Blancos, including four Champions League trophies, and is largely held to have scored one of the greatest goals in UCL history.

The Welshman also has a chance to take his UCL trophy tally to five before his departure, with Real Madrid set to face Liverpool in the UCL final at Paris on May 28.

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However, despite his stellar contributions to Madrid, the 32-year-old fell out of favour over the past couple of seasons.

This season, Bale featured in only seven games for Los Blancos, and is perhaps unlikely to play any more games before the end of the season on May 28.