Wales. Golf. Madrid: Gareth Bale ready for national call after El Classico snub

Gareth Bale joined the Wales squad for World Cup qualifiers against Austria a day after he missed the El Classico match between Barcelona and Real Madrid. The two sides will lock horns on March 25 at the Cardiff City Stadium. 

It has been two years since Bale held up the Welsh flag with the words “Wales. Golf. Madrid. In That Order” written on it. The 32-year-old has had a dispute at Santiago Bernabeu and a stint at Tottenham Hostspur since. However, now he is ready to wear national colours again. 

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Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, explaining Bale’s absence from the clasico –  one of the world’s biggest club matches, said that the forward ‘wasn’t up to playing’. The Los Blancos lost 4-0. 

“I don’t know what will happen with Wales,” Ancelotti said after the game. “He didn’t feel right.”

Wales are hoping to secure their first appearance at a World Cup in 64 years and Bale is expected to play a key role in their pursuit. He has played about 80 minutes of club football since featuring against Real Betis on August 28 and made four appearances for Wales. 

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Bale now has 100 international caps after playing a World Cup qualifier in November against Belarus, the same country against whom he scored a hat trick in September. On 36 goals, he is Wales’ record scorer and the player the team looks to for inspiration.

He will be far from 100% fit for the Austria game, but that is unlikely to stop Wales coach Robert Page from starting Bale in search of a victory that would advance the team to a match against either Ukraine or Scotland in June, for the right to play at the tournament in Qatar over November and December.