Real Madrid Set to feature against Fuenlabrada

After countless injuries and possibly the worst year of Gareth Bale's career, Zinedine Zidane has confirmed the Welshman will back in action in Real Madrid's Copa del Rey match against Fuenlabrada on Tuesday.

Bale returns after being sidelined for 62 days, but on Tuesday, it will be 365 days since the first operation on his ankle.

November 29, 2016: Ankle operation

Bale underwent surgery at the King Edward VII Hospital in London for a peroneal tendon injury of the right ankle which occurred against Sporting Clube in the Champions League.

Although the surgery was a success, his physical problems have lasted for a whole year, forcing the footballer to miss out on lots of football action.

December 2016: No El Clasico or Club World Cup

Bale was ruled out of a highly anticipated El Clasico, which ended in a 1-1 draw as well as the Club World Cup. Real Madrid won that championship after beating Mexican side Club America in the semifinals and Japan's Kashima Antlers in the final.

January 2017: Another month of being sidelined

He continued with his recovery process and little by little his fitness returned.

Although Madrid beat the record of consecutive games without losing, they were eliminated from the Copa del Rey against Celta de Vigo.

February 2017: Return with a goal against Espanyol

On February 18, Bale reappeared against Espanyol and he did it in style, scoring a goal.

The striker also played against Valencia and Villarreal during this month.

March 2017: A red card and bad feelings

The month of March started badly for the Welshman.

Bale received a red card against Las Palmas and was suspended for two games after a strong push on Jonathan Viera.

In addition, his contribution to the team decreased.

After missing out on two games, the winger continued to play despite severe ankle pain due to his operation.

April 2017: Back on the treatment table

More wounds and injuries. The pain in his ankle caused physical issues which led to new muscle problems.

Despite being in and out of the side, he took part in El Clasico on April 23.

However, after starting the match, he broke down in the 39th minute and was quickly replaced.

May 2017: Out for the final matches in LaLiga

Bale didn't play any of the final six league matches as well as the Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid.

He even missed out on Los Blancos' match at the Estadio La Rosaleda, where Zidane's men secured the LaLiga title after five years.

June 2017: Secondary role in Cardiff

The Welsh international only played the last few minutes of the Champions League final in Cardiff.

A bittersweet moment.

And to make matters worse, the footballer also missed out on Wales' crucial qualification matches for the 2018 World Cup.

July 2017: Pre-season full of rumours

Rumours suggested a move for the 28-year-old was on the cards.

The Spanish giants attempted to strike a deal with Kylian Mbappe, but the refusal of the Welshman to leave Madrid made it impossible.

Despite Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho's interest in the player Bale was clear he wanted to stay.

"I just want to succeed in Madrid," he said in an interview with MARCA.

August 2017: The two Supercopas

Fully fit at the start of the season, he participated in the two legs of the Supercopa de Espana.

His strong performance shut down the rumours and once the tie was won, he left the game against Barcelona early in order to rest and prepare for Madrid's league debut against Deportivo la Coruna.

September 2017: Five matches, a golazo and K.O. in Dortmund

He played in the first five match days of the domestic championship and also in the first two Champions League games.

All of his injuries seemed to be forgotten but on September 26 against Borussia Dortmund, Bale was sidelined once again.

That same night he netted an incredible goal, but soon limped off the field in pain.

"A cramp," Zidane said to reporters after the match.

The club later confirmed the player had suffered a calf injury.

October 2017: His Soleus problem means no World Cup

After falling victim to yet another injury, Bale was forced to miss out on his national team's decisive qualifying match due to a soleus problem in his right leg.

Without the help of their lethal forward, Wales didn't manage to win the golden ticket for the World Cup in Russia.

In addition, for the first time in five years, Bale was not selected as Welsh player of the year.

Nor did he appear at 'The Best' gala and was not included in the list of 30 Ballon d'Or nominations.

November 28, 2017: The return after another relapse?

The month started with a clear objective: to play in the Madrid derby on November 18.

Bale returned to train with the team at the beginning of the month, but on the 10th he suffered a fibrillar tear in the middle third of the adductor muscle.

The first medical tests stated that the player would be out for one month, but the injury was not as serious as first thought and 18 days later, it seems that he is able to finally return.

His New Year begins.