Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has insisted that people in Madrid “do not love” Gareth Bale ahead of Saturday night’s Champions League final.
The Welshman is leaving Real Madrid at the end of the season upon the expiration of his contract, bringing an end to his nine-year stay in the Spanish capital. Ironically, his greatest moment for the club arguably came four years ago – when he netted twice as the Spanish giants defeated the Reds 3-1 in the Champions League final.
Bale has recently hit out at Spanish media outlet Marca as being “disgusting” for comparing him to a parasite over claims he is sucking money out of the Spanish giants. Bale concluded a rant against the reports by stating: “We all know who the real parasite is!” The forward had faced fresh criticism from the Madrid media after his starring role for Wales in their playoff win over Austria in March.
Bale’s fall from prominence at Real Madrid in recent years has been striking and he went six months without featuring for the club this season, although he regained fitness during the international breaks to represent Wales. He has suffered multiple fitness setbacks along the way, but he has become a peripheral player at the club.
The 32-year-old has been named on the substitute’s bench for Saturday’s final against the Reds, as he was four years ago in Kiev. Bale emerged as a substitute in that match in the 61 st minute with the score poised at 1-1 and scored a spectacular overhead kick three minutes later, before adding another goal from long-range with seven minutes remaining on the clock to wrap up the victory.
Reds boss Klopp was quizzed about Bale ahead of the final and told BT Sport: “People in Madrid do not love him! I would love him only for this goal to be honest if I was a Madrid fan. I cannot believe that.”
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Speaking specifically about the 2018 final, the German added: "We all know what happened, we don’t have to make this story bigger. It was of course a tragic situation 100%. Loris Karius is a really, really good boy and that night didn’t help."
Bale will be hoping to bow out of the Spanish capital by helping the club lift the 14th European Cup in their history having dominated the competition more than any other club, with each round this campaign somehow becoming more mind-boggling than the last. Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp ’s Liverpool are eyeing their seventh title having reached their third final in all under the German coach in the past five seasons.
