Gareth Bale‘s long-term Real Madrid future rests on whether he starts and plays a full part in the Champions League final against Liverpool, according to two-time Los Blancos European Cup winner Steve McManaman.
Speculation over whether the Wales international will be at the Bernabeu next season has intensified in recent months, with boss Zinedine Zidane leaving the 28-year-old as an unused sub for the away clashes at Juventus in the quarter-final and last four trip to Bayern Munich.
The former Tottenham star also only featured for 18 minutes off the bench in the crucial return match against Bayern, in which the Whites went on to progress to the showpiece final in Kiev.
Whilst Bale is apparently happy with life in the Spanish capital – according to McManaman, who revealed he recently spoke to the star – failure to earn a starting berth against Jurgen Klopp’s men could force the attacker to make one of the biggest decisions of his career.
“I think a big onus will be on the final and whether he plays in the final and personally it’s up to him (to decide what to do from there),” former Kop winger McManaman told Sport360 on the sidelines of an LFC World event presented by Standard Chartered on Thursday at the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi.
“If he feels he’s not playing in the important games that may trigger something that he wants to do.”
McManaman, who spent four glittering years with the La Liga giants between 1999 and 2003 and is widely considered as one of Britain’s best exports to succeed overseas, added: “Speaking to him (Gareth) and people who know him over there, he seems to be very happy.
“It’s a lovely lifestyle in Madrid and he’s at arguably the greatest club ever.”
Despite winning three Champions League crowns – and gunning for a fourth this month – during five seasons at Real, there has been talk that Manchester United and former side Spurs could be poised to pounce in the summer.
However, Bale is contracted to Madrid until 2022 and would not be allowed to leave the club cheaply. He is also one of the highest-paid players in the world at the moment and few teams could match his wage demands.
