Gareth Bale Says He's 'Not Playing Happy' at Real Madrid After Transfer Rumours

Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has said he's not "playing happy" for the club following a summer of speculation regarding a possible transfer.

The Wales international appeared poised to leave the Santiago Bernabeu in the previous window, although Los Blancos pulled the plug on a deal that would have seen Bale move to Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning.

Speaking about his situation at Real while away on international duty with Wales, Bale told Sky Sports News it's far from ideal:

"I understand I was made more of a scapegoat than most, I take it with a pinch of salt even though maybe it's not all fully fair.

"Towards the end of last season was difficult, there is no denying that, not just for me but for the team. I wouldn't say I'm playing happy, but I'm playing, when I am playing I am professional and I am always giving all I can, whether that be for club or country.

"I'm sure there'll be plenty more turbulence, to be honest. I suppose it is something you will have to speak to Real Madrid about and it's between me and them, and we will have to come to some sort of conclusion."

During the summer, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane said "we hope he leaves soon" when discussing the player's future.

In the Sky Sports interview, Bale said "I just kept my head down" when he returned to pre-season training with the team.

Although he could have easily left Los Blancos in the summer, Bale has started all three of Real Madrid's La Liga games this season.

On Sunday, he scored twice and was sent off in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Villarreal:

Since arriving at Madrid, Bale has been one of the key players in one of the most dominant spells in the club's history:

Despite his consistent presence and the number of vital goals he has scored, Bale has never been completely accepted by the Madridistas. In addition, the Welshman was phased out by Zidane towards the end of his first spell in charge.

Zidane clearly wasn't keen on Bale being around for the current campaign, either, although the indications are that he will have a role to play until January at least. 

After Bale equalised at Villarreal, Sachin Nakrani of the Guardian joked about the relationship between the player and manager:

Aside from his red card in the previous fixture, Bale has had a strong start to the season. His performances have been a reminder that the Wales international can still be effective when given opportunities, and it will be intriguing to see if those chances still come about once the likes of Eden Hazard and Isco return to fitness.

Bale will be hoping to put his issues at his club behind him in the coming days, with Wales' UEFA European Championship qualifying hopes his short-term focus. They play Azerbaijan on Friday and Belarus on Monday, looking to improve on their current record of one win from three games.