Bale Has Answered All The Critics – Chris Coleman

Gareth Bale is set to silence his Real Madrid critics and fire Wales’ World Cup dream, according to his national team manager, Chris Coleman.

Bale has had a tough start to the season in Spain after a summer of transfer speculation and was booed by sections of the Bernabeu crowd in Sunday’s 2-2 La Liga home draw with Valencia.

But Bale is always welcome in his homeland and the 28-year-old — who has again been linked with a move to Manchester United before Thursday’s transfer deadline — will have a huge role to play as Wales hope to seal their 2018 World Cup qualification hopes alive.

“Knowing him for the last five or six years, he won’t be any different,” Wales manager Coleman said in response to the latest criticism Bale has faced.

“People wondered how he would handle it when he went to Real Madrid because you are like a film star there, but he absolutely cruised through it.

“He’s answered all the critics. He’s matured in the last four or five years and come through it with flying colours.

“So this latest episode won’t faze him at all.

“He was disappointed to miss the Serbia game [through suspension], but he looks good and wants to help us qualify.”

“There’s been a couple of periods where he has been under a lot of pressure, but all he needs to do is put his medals up,” Coleman said. “Yes, he’s had one or two injuries but he’s won three Champions Leagues.

“No one else has ever gone to a foreign club from this country and done that. Absolutely nobody can doubt him.

“He’s always a story, he’s one of the best players in the world. Things will be said and that’s the way it is. He knows that.”