Gareth Bale 'has to play' insists Casemiro as Real Madrid make great La Liga start v Celta Vigo

Sport360 staff 09:56 18/08/2019
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  • Gareth Bale may have lost influence with Zinedine Zidane but his Real Madrid team-mates are still full of respect for his accomplishments, according to Casemiro.

    The Wales star was seemingly set for the Bernabeu exit after a summer of transfer speculation – in which he was close to moving to China before the deal fell through – and indications that he was no longer part of Zidane’s plans.

    Bale, however, made a surprise start in Real’s La Liga opener against Celta Vigo and impressed by providing an assist for Karim Benzema in a 3-1 win.

    Whenever the 30-year-old leaves the Spanish capital, he will do so having played a huge part in at least four Champions League trophies and a La Liga title – and Casemiro insists he ‘has to play’.

    “He [Bale] has given us titles, he’s scored in finals and he has a lot of respect from us all,” Casemiro said. “He has to play. He’s a great player and is very important for us.”

    Real have stolen a march on Barcelona, who stumbled to a shock 1-0 defeat against Athletic Bilbao on opening night.

    However, Casemiro added: “The Barcelona defeat doesn’t change anything. We are thinking about our football and about our matches.”

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