Madrid boss Zidane lavishes praise on brilliant Bale

Dom Farrell

Madrid boss Zidane lavishes praise on brilliant Bale image

Zinedine Zidane welcomed Real Madrid star Gareth Bale giving him a selection headache ahead of the Champions League final.

The Wales forward fired a superb brace inside the opening half hour to set Madrid on course for a 6-0 romp against Celta Vigo in their final La Liga home game this season.

The brace brought Bale up to 18 goals in all competitions this season, and to 15 in La Liga, though it is in continental play where he has often struggled in 2017-18.

Bale has largely been consigned to a place on the bench during the knockout stages of the Champions League this season but, with injury problems seemingly behind him, the 28-year-old has found form with Madrid's Kiev showdown against Liverpool only two weeks away.

He fired a Camp Nou equaliser in El Clasico last weekend and, speaking to reporters after the Celta rout, Zidane said: "I don't know my team yet [for the final] but it's better to have everyone plugged in.

"Then, of course, it will be a headache to select the team for the final.

"We had a great game and that was important. We were very professional, scoring six goals and playing a lot of football. We did very well."

On Bale's showing, the France great added: "He is very good, he has shown that. He was good at everything tonight.

"I am happy for him. But the important thing is that we all arrive in optimal form."

Madrid close out their La Liga campaign next Sunday away at against Villarreal. They then travel to Kiev to square off against Liverpool in the Champions League final on May 26.

Dom Farrell

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.