Gareth Bale to remain with Real Madrid

Gareth Bale football news

Football News: GARETH BALE wants to make more history at Real Madrid after pledging his future to the Spanish giants.

Bale won his third Champions League winner’s medal in four seasons as Real swept aside Juventus 4-1 in his home city of Cardiff on Saturday night.

But Bale was reduced to a bit-part role after recent injury problems, sent on for the final 13 minutes at the National Stadium with the game already virtually won.

Bale’s injury woes this season – and the impressive displays of Spanish playmaker Isco in his absence – have led to suggestions of a return to the Premier League this summer.

But the 27-year-old says he is determined to remain in Madrid and add to his impressive trophy collection.

“I signed a long-term contract at Madrid,” said Bale, who committed to Real until 2022 in October.

“My family is happy and I am happy, so we will continue what we are doing.”

Real’s victory saw them become European champions for a record 12th time as Zinedine Zidane’s side became the first to retain the trophy in the era of the Champions League. And Bale believes the current team has taken its place among the great Real sides of the past.

“We have won three Champions Leagues in four seasons so we have to be in that category,” he said. “Gopefully there will be more to come. I think we can get better. We are still quite young as a whole team and we have a great squad.

“Winning again adds to the history of this club. This club is the biggest in Champions League history ever. It’s great to be a part of it.”

Bale now plans to return to full fitness over the summer after a mixed 12 months.

He helped Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 last summer, but missed three months of this season after undergoing ankle surgery in November.

Bale was injured again in the El Clasico against Barcelona on April 23, effectively ending his hopes of starting in Cardiff.

“My ankle will be fine in the long term,” Bale said. “It just needs to be given recovery time.

“I only found out I wasn’t going to start just before the game. But I always knew really because I’d only been training for five days with the team. I was really lucky to be involved, to be honest.”

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