No fond farewell but Zidane praises 'spectacular' Bale impact
VIDEO SHOWS: REAL MADRID PLAYERS TRAINING BEFORE THEIR FIRST LEAGUE MATCH AGAINST REAL SOCIEDAD, COMMENTS BY COACH ZINEDINE ZIDANE ON GARETH BALE
RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT
SHOWS: MADRID, SPAIN (SEPTEMBER 19, 2020) (REAL MADRID TV - ACCESS ALL)
1. VARIOUS OF REAL MADRID PLAYERS TRAINING
2. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH, ZINEDINE ZIDANE, SAYING:
"I did not speak to him. But as I said before, what he has done here, he has done it well, he did it fabulously. You cannot argue against that. He has won a lot of things here with Real Madrid."
2. VARIOUS OF REAL MADRID PLAYERS TRAINING
3. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH ZINEDINE ZIDANE, SAYING:
"At the end of the day, it's not like that. It's a more complicated issue. But there are negotiations now. He is in London and what I can tell you is -- because at the end of the day, what I say or what Gareth (Bale) says, it's always about pitting one side against the other. But I've never had a problem with Gareth and he never had a problem with me. I know what he has done for this club and nobody can take that from him. At the end of the day, these things sometimes happen for different circumstances."
4. DEFENDERS SERGIO RAMOS AND DANI CARVAJAL SPRINTING
5. FULL BACK MARCELO SHOOTING
6. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH ZINEDINE ZIDANE, SAYING:
"We have more time for that. The season is starting and all he (Eden Hazard) needs to do is ensure he gets to 100 or 120% fitness, that is it."
7. MIDFIELDER TONI KROOS SHOOTING
8. KROOS SMILING AFTER SCORING A GOAL
9. FULL BACK NACHO SCORING A GOAL
10. MIDFIELDER FEDERICO VALVERDE SCORING A GOAL
11. VALVERDE CELEBRATING THE GOAL
12. MARCELO SCORING A GOAL
STORY: Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said on Saturday (September 19) he did not say anything to Gareth Bale before he left to sign for Tottenham Hotspur but insisted he had no personal issue with the Wales forward and praised what he did for the Spanish club.
Bale travelled to London on Friday (September 18) to finalize a return to Tottenham on loan after seven years at Real which witnessed a remarkable haul of trophies and goals but ended with the player barely featuring at the end of last season.
"I did not speak to him," Zidane told a news conference ahead of Real's first game in La Liga away to Real Sociedad on Sunday (September 20), where they will begin their title defense.
"But I've never had a problem with Gareth and he never had a problem with me. I know what he has done for this club and nobody can take that from him," he added.
While Bale was key to Real winning the 2016 Champions League in Zidane's first season, he was absent from most of the second campaign due to injuries and never managed to re-establish himself as a first-choice player for the Frenchman, even after scoring twice in the 2018 final against Liverpool.
But Zidane disagreed with the perception he forced Bale out.
"It's not like that. It's more complicated. With Gareth (Bale) it's always about one side against the other," Zidane said.
There will now be more expectation on Real's joint-most expensive player, Eden Hazard, although the Belgian is unlikely to feature against Real Sociedad.
Hazard's debut season at Real was marred by two ankle injuries and other fitness troubles.
Zidane said he would not rush him back to action.
"We have more time to prepare for the season and all he needs to do is ensure he gets to 100 or 120% fitness," he said.
(Production: Silvio Castellanos, Richard Martin)
