‘I was only doing a season at Spurs’: Gareth Bale announces his plan to RETURN to Real Madrid – and force them into stumping up his £31m salary – as he says it’s ‘nice to get away’ from Tottenham after rocky period under Jose Mourinho
- Gareth Bale has spent this season on loan at Tottenham from Real Madrid
- Bale’s contract in the Spanish capital, worth £31m per year, expires next year
- The Wales captain said on Tuesday his plan is to return to Madrid this summer
- He added he was glad to join up with Wales ahead of the game against Belgium
Gareth Bale has revealed he is fully expecting to return to Real Madrid this summer after his one-year loan spell at Tottenham comes to an end.
The Wales captain still has another season of his £31million-a-year contract remaining with the Spanish champions and believes he will see out his deal with them.
Bale has had mixed fortunes since returning to Spurs during the summer window.
After initially struggling for a regular spot under Jose Mourinho, the 31-year-old scored five goals in a four-game spell between February and March before he was dropped for Sunday’s 2-0 win at Aston Villa, having featured in the humiliating Europa League defeat by Dinamo Zagreb.
On-loan Tottenham winger Gareth Bale revealed he plans to return to Real Madrid next season
The Welsh winger has a year left on his £31m-a-year contract at Zinedine Zidane’s (left) Madrid; Bale had enjoyed some fruitful form in the past few weeks under Jose Mourinho after a difficult start to life back in north London – but he was dropped against Aston Villa on Sunday
‘There’s no distraction for me. I think the main reason I came to Spurs this year was to play football first and foremost,’ Bale said.
‘Going into the Euros I wanted to be match-fit. The original plan was to do a season at Spurs and after the Euros still have a year left at Real Madrid.
‘My plan is to go back – that’s as far I have planned.’
Bale won four Champions League crowns and two LaLiga titles during seven years at Madrid, but his relationship with manager Zinedine Zidane had soured by the time he returned to north London in September.
The 31-year-old won four Champions League titles during his first seven years at Real Madrid
Since arriving back at Spurs – where he left for Madrid back in 2013 for a then-world record fee of £86m – Bale has endured a topsy-turvy time, scoring 10 goals in 25 games in all competitions.
The 31-year-old has struggled with form and fitness at times but has shown signs in recent weeks of being back to his best, scoring four goals in his last four Premier League games.
Back in January, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho said there had been ‘no discussion’ with Bale about his long-term future.
‘Gareth is a player on loan until the end of the season. Not one second of discussion,’ he said.
‘We are speaking about, of course, Gareth himself, Real Madrid and Tottenham, but I promise you, not one second of discussion.’
Bale added that he was pleased to get away from Spurs to join up with his country after a difficult period for the club, including last week’s shock elimination from the Europa League.
Prior to the Zagreb debacle, Spurs were beaten 2-1 by Arsenal. Even after the victory at Villa, Mourinho again questioned the commitment of some of his players.
Bale added that he was pleased to join up with the Wales squad after a tough period at Spurs
‘I always think when things aren’t going too well at a club, it’s nice to mentally get away from the environment,’ Bale added.
‘It can be a benefit. We focus on these (international) games, which are very important for us. We forget club life and concentrate on this.’
Wales are in a group with Belgium, Czech Republic, Belarus and Estonia as they look to qualify for a World Cup for the first time since 1958.
