Gareth Bale has rubbished rumours linking him with a move to Manchester United, saying he is “very happy” at Real Madrid and has yet to consider quitting the Santiago Bernebeu.
The Welshman, 25, is under contract at the European champions until June 2019. He is been linked with the Old Trafford club, with reports suggesting goalkeeper David de Gea will move in the opposite direction.
He told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser “I don’t see myself at Manchester United.
“In a recent interview I was asked if I was not happy at Madrid, but I told them that I am very happy here. I have many years left on my contract. I feel the support and love of the fans at the Bernabeu. I hope I can continue to work in order to prove what I’m capable of doing on the pitch, and to win as many trophies as possible.
“The fans are amazing. I love it when we play at home. I’m having a good time, we are winning trophies, and I want to continue to do this here, at Real Madrid.”
Bale has won the Uefa Champions League, the Uefa Super Cup, the Fifa Club World Cup and the Copa del Rey since joining the ‘Los Merengues’ from Tottenham Hotspur in a reported world record transfer worth £85.3m in the summer of 2013. Real lead the Spanish top flight and will face German side Schalke in a Champions League round of 16 tie next month.
The winger says his love for the Madrid giants dates back to his childhood in Cardiff, watching Zinedine Zidane play alongside Ronaldo de Lima during the Galacticos era.
“I liked watching Real Madrid on TV,” he said. “They always had the best players and played the best football. Whenever they played, it was always exciting. I was passionate about Real Madrid.
“I really liked Zidane and Ronaldo. To watch the two of them play together was incredible, just to see what they were able to do on the pitch. That was the reason why I liked Madrid so much.”
On who takes the free-kick, Bale, who has scored 10 goals in 16 La Liga appearances this season, said tactical details are sketched out before the start of any Real game.
He explained: “We have tactical meetings to see who takes free-kicks. If it’s on the left, it’s Cristiano Ronaldo, if it’s on the right then it’s me. It usually works well.
“Now that Cristiano may not play, (as he has been handed a two-match suspension for being sent off in Saturday’s game at Cordoba), I hope I can take the free-kicks in order to have the opportunity to score more goals.”
