Gareth Bale's time at the Bernabeu might come this season, but that doesn't mean that there are some people that would love him to show some desire to keep his spot with Los Blancos. One of those people rooting for him a former teammate: Rafael Van der Vaart.
A former Real Madrid player himself, the recently-retired Van der Vaart looked into Bale's predicaments as a Los Blancos' player, hinting that in order to win the crowd, you have to fight for it the hard way.
Speaking to Standard Sport, Van der Vaart shared a foul-mouthed saying as an advice for his former Tottenham teammate.
"It's strange, but in Holland we say that sometimes you need to be an a***hole," Van der Vaart stated.
The reasons for Bale not being a fan-favorite at the Bernabeu are not entirely known, but the retired Dutch midfielder believes that the Welshman can do so with a better attitude.
"You can also be a positive a***hole. He's worth €100m — they paid a lot of money and he has to do it. In his last year at Spurs, he took every free-kick, he decided everything. That's what he has to do. I realize it's difficult, because you have so many good players, but he should do it more," Van der Vaart added.
Bale and Van der Vaart back in their time at Tottenham.
The 2010 World Cup runner up with the Netherlands also hinted that Bale's problems might be fueled by the lack of confidence his teammates display towards him, even if he's scored some major goals during his time with Los Blancos.
"Gareth is an amazing player but he's a person that has to feel the confidence. He has to feel he is welcome. But I know Real is a difficult club if you don't perform. It doesn't matter if you're Ronaldo, Bale or Van der Vaart — they'll throw you out after just one year," Van der Vaart concluded.
