The pair was once close, but the Welshman’s repeated injuries and outburst following his Champions League heroics in Kiev saw Zizou lose patience
As Real Madrid’s season came to an end with an underwhelming, disappointing home defeat that has typified this annus horribilis for the club, one man who was not involved became the centre of attention.
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While the outgoing Keylor Navas received a warm ovation from the Bernabeu crowd Gareth Bale sat stoically on the bench, watching from afar as his side were downed 2-0 by Betis. That result left Madrid in third place, a massive 19 points adrift of runaway Liga champions Barcelona.
Zinedine Zidane’s refusal to bring the Welsh winger into the action in what could well prove his last appearance in a Madrid squad did serve to instantly banish memories of yet another insipid display from his troops. But it also marks the culmination of a process of separation and distancing between Bale and his coach that has been in the making for years
