Real Madrid's Gareth Bale compared to former Leeds star

Gareth Bale has been compared to flop Jonathan Woodgate

GARETH BALE has been compared to Real Madrid flop Jonathan Woodgate after recurrent injuries have seen him miss a number of games.

 

Real confirmed the Wales international has suffered yet another soleus muscle problem - the same injury that kept him on the sidelines earlier this season.

The 26-year-old played in the 2-0 win over Andorra in last week’s Euro 2016 qualifiers, but has since returned in poor shape for Rafa Benitez’s side.

 

And this has caused the Spanish press to turn on him once again, claiming he cared more about performing for his country than his club.

Newspaper Mundo Deportivo reports that Bale has missed 25 per cent of all La Liga games since his arrival in Madrid, and the stats will worsen given his current injury.

The Catalan-based newspaper voiced concerns over his suitability as Cristiano Ronaldo’s long-term replacement, especially given the huge £89million sum they paid.

And AS Diario has taken the criticism one step further, comparing him to Woodgate, who was once dubbed Real Madrid’s worst ever signing.

 

The former Leeds and Tottenham defender famously scored an own goal and was sent off on his debut, and made just 14 appearances in two season at the Bernabeu.

And the club eventually had to give up on him as he was plagued with a repetitive back injury, eventually returning to the Premier League with Middlesbrough in 2007.