Playing For Wales More Exciting Than Real Madrid - Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale has admitted that playing for Wales in more exciting than playing at Real Madrid. The Real Madrid star has been pilloried by those in Spain who believes he is not as committed when playing for the Spanish giants as he is when representing his country.

Bale has not been deemed fit to play for Madrid since picking up a calf injury during Wales’ 1-1 draw with Croatia on October 13.

However, he is confident he will be ready to play a significant part both here in Baku on Saturday and against Hungary on Tuesday, with Wales needing two wins to have a chance of automatic qualification for Euro 2020.

Asked if playing for Wales allowed him to rediscover the joy of football, Bale said: ‘To an extent. I've been with most of the older players since we were in Under-17s.

‘It's like playing with your mates down the park on a Sunday. It's normal. With Wales, I'm speaking my own language and feel more comfortable.

‘I definitely have more excitement playing for Wales. But it doesn't change what I do on the pitch. I always give 100 per cent on the pitch wherever I am, that's what I always strive to do.’

Bale, 30, has had a highly successful time in Spain yet his relationship with boss Zinedine Zidane remains extremely strained.



He almost left the club to join Jiangsu Suning on a deal worth about £1m per week last summer, only for it to collapse in the final stages.

He enjoys the Spanish lifestyle but supporters and pundits have become irritated by his frequent absences through injury, and his love of golf.

When Bale was chosen by Wales earlier this month despite not having played for Real since October 5, Spanish newspaper AS ran a front-page picture of the former Tottenham star on the golf course, alongside the headline ‘Triple Bogey’.

Bale hit back: ‘I’ve never had a triple bogey! At least give me an albatross or something. It’s funny. The things I have seen people really don’t understand football, they don’t know what they’re on about.

‘I’ve tried to get back as quick as I can, if there had been a Real Madrid game this week I would have been fit and training to play. Maybe to them it doesn’t look great but it’s coincidence that the national team has come around this week and I’ve kind of returned to full training.

‘It’s something that happen in football. If I’m fit, no matter where I am, I’m going to try to play, whether it be Wales or Madrid. For me, it’s a no-brainer: if I’m fit to play, I’ll give everything to play.’