Pranav Nair
Florentino Perez regrets not selling Gareth Bale to Manchester United in 2018
According to Spanish publication Defensa Central, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez regrets not selling Gareth Bale to Manchester United in 2018.
The Red Devils, then managed by Jose Mourinho, were very keen on the Welsh winger. Despite his stock falling at the Bernabeu, Bale still remained a potent player capable of producing game-changing moments.
He showed just that during that year’s Champions League final with Liverpool, scoring twice coming off the bench. Real eventually won 3-1 on the night.
According to the report, United made an offer of €100m for Bale’s services, only for Real Madrid to reject it. In hindsight, Perez is not the only one who admits Madrid missed out on a golden opportunity there.
Bale has since made just 62 appearances for Real, scoring 17 goals and making nine assists. A poor return for a player costing the Spaniards a fortune. (h/t Transfermarkt)
Having already overspent on Alexis Sanchez, it is incredulous to imagine us spending a massive amount to also bring in Bale. While Perez may regret his decision, we are glad that it is them and not us who is living to regret it.
Bale eventually returned to the Premier League, on a loan to Tottenham Hotspur last summer. While he has had his moments, it is fair to say that his best is behind him.
It appears unlikely that Spurs will sign him permanently and he could be on his way back to the Spanish capital. News regarding our interest in him too has been thankfully sparse. The Welshman is yesteryear’s hero and both the game and we have since moved on.
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Perez decided to reject the offer for Bale, owing to the situation surrounding Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Frenchman had resigned while Ronaldo was on his way to Juventus.
One can understand the Real honcho’s decision to not permit a third superstar to leave the same summer. While Los Blancos did bring in €100m that summer, it would appear they sold he wrong star.
