Gareth Bale's Injury Woes Will Continue to Dampen Debut Season with Real Madrid

Reports in Spain have emerged that suggest Gareth Bale’s injury-hit start to life in Madrid is set to continue. Having already missed a chunk of Real Madrid's opening fixtures with fitness woes, a report in Spanish Newspaper Marca suggested that the Welshman, signed for a world-record fee this summer, may have to have surgery to fully alleviate issues with his back. 

The headline, "A Ticking Time Bomb", would have no doubt struck fear into the heart of Madrid supporters.

But thankfully for them, the club have moved quickly to pour cold water over these rumours, which would have no doubt gathered pace. Part of the official club statement read:

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It is completely false that the player has a discal hernia between vertebrae L5-S1 as reported by Marca. The player has a small chronic protusion in a spinal disc that will not affect him playing.

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Bale has also had problems with a thigh strain and had to pull out of the game against Getafe at the Bernabeu after tweaking it once again in the warm-up.

It is abundantly clear that all is not right with Bale on the fitness front and that injuries have really blighted his dream move to the Bernabeu in its immediate infancy. The Welshman has only started one game and has featured in just 132 minutes of competitive action for his new employers, not the start he would have envisaged when he penned a record deal with the club.

The root cause of these injuries is a topic for debate. Some have questioned as to whether or not Real rushed Bale back into action too quickly. These injuries were prevalent throughout the summer and the player did little in terms of pre-season training. He did none at all with Madrid, which made his debut appearance—just three days after signing for the club—even more curious.

Chris Coleman, Bale's international manager, has questioned Real Madrid for doing exactly that (from the Daily Mail's Riath Al-Samarrai:

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I would never criticise another manager—Carlo Ancelotti is a brilliant manager—but La Liga football is a different tempo to the Premier League. I can understand the thinking that the Premier League is the fastest, most dynamic. It is, so maybe Carlo was thinking Gareth could handle it. He’s a super athlete.

But I did say in our last camp that he was nowhere near fit.

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With Madrid playing down the seriousness of his injuries again, there is a hope amongst many that they do not rush Bale back too quickly a second time round. The temptation would certainly be there, especially with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid powering away from Los Blancos at the top of La Liga.

But Bale must be given the proper recovery time. Back injuries in particular are notoriously difficult to recover from and if he is rushed back without doing a suitable amount of rehabilitation, it could become a much more serious issue for both Bale and Real Madrid.

It’s a frustrating scenario for all concerned. The £86 million man will no doubt be desperate to make an impression for his new employers, whilst the Real Madrid higher-ups will be keen to show off the quality of their prize acquisition. The Madridistas will also be itching to see Bale on the pitch alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Isco.

But patience is the order of the day here. Bale is set for a long and prosperous career at Real Madrid and whilst these injury woes look to have scuppered the early part of his time as a Madrid player, better days are yet to come. That is for sure.

Riath Al-Samarrai