Real Madrid fans have given Gareth Bale a brutal message
- Published
Gareth Bale was an unused substitute in Real Madrid's final game of the season
Gareth Bale's future as a Real Madrid player continues to be the subject of daily speculation. The Welshman has reportedly said he is happy to stay, but the fans have made their feelings pretty clear.
This week Spanish newspaper AS conducted a vote where supporters could decide whether each player should stay or leave.
The paper reports almost five million fans took part and while Bale is by no means the only player they voted to show the door, the numbers are pretty damning: 91% said they want him gone.
Real Madrid have endured, by their standards, a disastrous season. They lost 12 league games and finished 19 points behind champions Barcelona while their Champions League campaign was halted at the round of 16 stage by Ajax.
Bale appears to have borne the brunt of the fans' frustrations. In March he was jeered when he was substituted in the 1-0 home defeat by Barcelona and in Real Madrid's final league match this season - a dismal defeat by Real Betis - he went straight down the tunnel without acknowledging the home support.
Although the Madrid fans haven't resorted to their infamous show of disgust just yet - waving white handkerchiefs - this poll is hardly going to make Bale's already frosty relationship with the Real Madrid faithful any better.
But according to Spanish radio station Radioestadio, Bale has told team-mates: "I've got three years left on my contract. If they want me to go, they'll need to pay me £15m per season. If not, I'll stay here. And if I have to play golf, I will."
Some of the results from the AS poll
He's not the only person in football to be told to leave by the supporters.
Earlier this month Bale's former Wales boss Chris Coleman was, in rather more polite terms, told his time was up with Hebei China Fortune. Coleman presided over a run of one win in nine games, prompting the fans to unfurl a banner which read: 'Hello Mr Coleman, please go home! You're fired!!!' In Chinese it said: 'Coleman, your mum wants you home for dinner.'
Hebei China Fortune fans' message to Chris Coleman
We all remember the protest David Moyes was subjected to during his spell as Manchester United manager.
A banner with 'Wrong One - Moyes Out' printed in seven-foot high red lettering was flown above Old Trafford before United's 4-1 win over Aston Villa. Yet the response inside the stadium that day was one of support.
The 'Moyes Out' banner before Manchester United's 4-1 win over Aston Villa
But these examples pale in comparison to what Arsene Wenger had to endure towards the end of his 22-year stint as Arsenal manager.
As well as a weekly diatribe on the fans' YouTube channel AFTV and countless news stories on the subject, 'Wenger Out' signs and banners began popping up in the most unexpected places all over the world.
A 'Wenger Out' banner spotted at WrestleMania 33 in Florida
A Jeremy Corbyn rally, a basketball match in Saudi Arabia, a protest for Lebanese engineers in Beirut, a Coldplay concert in Singapore, even WrestleMania 33 in Florida were all used as platforms to promote the 'Wenger Out' message.
If Bale is intent on seeing out the rest of his contract, with the majority of Real Madrid fans calling for his exit, protests could reach Wenger-level once more.