After Gareth Bale was booed by Real Madrid fans for not passing to Cristiano Ronaldo when he was one-on-one last week, does the Welshman feel that a return to the Premier League is not completely out of the question?

It seems ridiculous that fans booed Bale, who scored a fantastic free kick earlier in the game against Espanyol, for not passing to the Balon d’or winner in the 3-0 victory. Real fans voiced their frustrations towards the Welsh forward as it was the second time in as many weeks that Bale had ignored a striker in a better position after he ignored Karim Benzema in Real’s 2-1 loss against Valencia.

There’s no doubt that Gareth Bale has performed well since he arrived for a record fee from Tottenham Hotspur, scoring vital goals in both the Copa Del Rey final and the Champions League final last season.   In the 2013/14 season, Bale scored 15 league goals and provided 12 assists in 24 appearances. So far this campaign, he has scored eight league goals with three assists. But the reality is that the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo will always overshadow his efforts.

Real Madrid fans have always expected perfection,  so any mistake will be scrutinised. The fact that the loss to Valencia ended a 22 match winning streak for Madrid could be one of the reasons why Bale has received a lot of stick recently.

Carlo Ancelotti was quick to defend the Welsh forward after the recent criticism: “Bale has played a very good game. He’s played with intensity and he’s scored.

“It could be that at that moment the fans have asked for a pass to Cristiano, which hasn’t happened and, like all strikers who are in front of goal, he tried to score.

“Altruism is a very important component of the team. If there is any play which seems selfish we’ll clearly fix it. We have fans who demand a lot. Bale is a fundamental player like Cristiano and for that the fans demand much more than of others.”

Clearly Ancelotti is trying to defuse the situation, which has the potential to get out of hand, especially due to the rumoured Manchester United interest in Bale. A bid of around £117 million could persuade Real Madrid to sell the Welshman, who may want to leave if he is ridiculed further by the Real Madrid fans.

Despite the fact that there is speculation surrounding Gareth Bale, he would be a big loss to Real Madrid if he did leave the Bernabeu. Although Bale has been the victim of recent criticism from Madrid fans, he does have a good understanding with Cristiano Ronaldo and the pair were influential in the recent 22 match winning streak.

If Gareth Bale does become frustrated with his treatment at Real Madrid, there is no doubt that his talent would be much more appreciated if he returned to the Premier League.

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