Gareth Bale Will Not Be Given A Real Madrid Goodbye Equal To Marcelo's In One Final Insult
One last twist of the knife.
Real Madrid are set to give Marcelo a special goodbye when his contract expires at the end of June - but won't be doing the same for Gareth Bale.
Carlo Ancelotti's side won La Liga and the Champions League this season and it's proved to be the end of an era.
Left-back Marcelo will be departing after 15 years at the Santiago Bernabeu and a record 25 trophies in that time.
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The former Brazil international became captain after Sergio Ramos' departure last summer and it means he's the first non-Spaniard to lead Real to domestic and European glory.
Diario AS report he'll now be given a goodbye similar to that of Ramos' and legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Marcelo will be given a press conference at club facilities and will be allowed to pose for pictures with the trophies he's won, alongside his family.
Bale won't be given the same privilege however as his nine-year stay in Spain comes to a close.
The 32-year-old has won 16 trophies with Los Blancos in his own right and scored crucial goals in the 2014 and 2018 Champions League finals.
His relationship with supporters is nowhere near as strong as Marcelo's and he's been criticised for a perceived lack of passion for Real.
Many believe he was more bothered with the Wales national team and there was undoubtedly friction throughout most of his time abroad.
He was afforded a round of applause at their Champions League parade last month after nearly a decade of service.
Marcelo has been linked with a return to Brazil, as well as moves to Turkish giants Fenerbahce and French outfit Marseille.
Bale, meanwhile, will be hoping to stay fit ahead of Wales' first World Cup campaign in 64 years.
The former Tottenham Hotspur man saw his free-kick go in off Ukraine's Andriy Yarmolenko on Sunday to give Wales a 1-0 victory in their playoff final.
He was asked if the result postponed his retirement and he replied: "For a little bit."
Bale also admitted he's had 'loads' of offers from prospective clubs in recent weeks.
A shock move to Cardiff City has been rumoured for quite some time. Wrexham owner Rob McElhenney joked he could snap up the winger on a free transfer on social media.
That'd certainly put everyone in the National League on notice.
Topics: Gareth Bale, Marcelo, Real Madrid
Daniel Marland