Gareth Bale a ‘one dimensional player?’

It hasn’t taken long for Spanish critics to start questioning the wisdom of Real Madrid breaking the world record transfer fee to sign Gareth Bale.

Bale has had a stop-start beginning to his Madrid career due, scoring on his debut against Villareal, but injuries have affected his introduction to Spanish football and he had little impact coming on as a substitute in Real’s defeat to rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Now, literally minutes into his Madrid career, Marca’s assistant editor Santiago Segurola has questioned whether Madrid invested their money wisely.

He writes: “I might be wrong, because Gareth Bale has joined late and has barely had a pre-season, but he seems to be a one-dimensional player, who is not so involved in the dynamic side of the game.”

He prefaced this by criticising the sale of Mesut Ozil to Arsenal, stating: “The sale of Ozil is an historic error. Real Madrid has got rid of its second best player. He’s a 24-year-old player who brought out the best in everyone around him, especially Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Elsewhere, Bale’s ineffectual display in the derby was also noted by Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, although it should be mentioned that this is a publication loyal to Barcelona.

Jouralist Jesus Galindo wrote: “The man who cost just € 101 million contributed nothing to the team in its debut in the derby.

“He showed desire, but lacked speed, one of his main features, and did not look comfortable on the right wing, where he had been placed by Carlo Ancelotti. His attacking edge was limited to a left-foot shot from the edge of the area stopped by Courtois.

“Besides that drew applause from the stands when they saw him on the field, otherwise Bale debut at the Bernabeu went virtually unnoticed . The 101 million euros that Florentino Perez invested his signing , were not reflected in his game.

“Although it is too early to make any assessment of Bale, on Saturday, to the disappointment of the fans to see the poor image provided by your computer, some doubt the Welshman and whether the investment is worth it.”

It looks like Bale faces an uphill battle convincing the Spanish critics of his talents. Still, the £300,000 a weekly salary will go some way to easing the pain.