Gareth Bale is farther away from Real than ever LaLiga - Real Madrid A regular substitute, he has isolated himself

About 10,000 kilometres from Valdebebas, Gareth Bale is in China, but it's metaphorically the same distance he is from Real Madrid, the Welshman farther away from his club than ever.

In recent weeks an irreparable gap has opened between the player and coaching staff, teammates and supporters.

Zidane defends Bale in public

In fact, it has been a long time since Bale was an undisputed starter.

He played whenever he felt good, and that, in some way, kept him in the dynamic of the group; on alert, with an obligation to be connected to the team.

In short, it's what gave him status at Real Madrid.

Not so long ago there was a conviction that if Bale put aside his injuries, he would get back to being the player that everyone recognises he is.

The first one who believed that to be the case was Zinedine Zidane, but not anymore.

He has lost faith in the Welshman and doesn't like his attitude.

A DELICATE PRESENT

MARCA was aware of Bale's future a month ago, specifically on February 22.

Then, in this newspaper, it was reported that the Welshman wouldn't continue at Real Madrid next season, that he had run out of credit and that the club had already decided that the best thing was to definitively end his time at the club.

A time during which the Welshman has played a full part, but who now is a shadow of what he was and who hasn't lived up to was expected of him.

In fact, he is one of the few footballers who hasn't got better since his arrival at Madrid.

He came to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu after scoring 26 goals at Tottenham in 2012/13 but hasn't managed to improve that scoring record in any of his seasons at Real.

If the future seems clear to Bale, the present is very delicate.

The remaining two months of the season will be very long because his substitute status will be difficult to change, except for a very radical turn of events.

HE HAS THROWN IN THE TOWEL

The feeling in the dressing room is that Bale has thrown in the towel and is letting go, that all he thinks about is for the season to end so he can consider his future away from Madrid.

Lucas and Asensio are now ahead of him in the pecking order and the Welshman doesn't seem to be very worried either.

It's as if he didn't care and, in fact, since losing his starting spot, Bale has disconnected completely.

He has never not joined in with the group, but now he has separated from them much more.

His best friend has been his mobile phone, in which he takes refuge almost obsessively to pass the time.

Mobile, mobile and more mobile.

Zidane isn't happy with his attitude on the pitch, and though he will never say it in public, he is already saying it in private.

The French coach is disenchanted with him, and he will take advantage of everything he can, as he did with James and Pepe last year.

CRISTIANO RONALDO'S SUPPORT

Bale's current situation has seen a solidarity of sorts with some of his colleagues.

The most striking is Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been seen in several training sessions approaching the Welshman, in search of a connection with his teammate and the rest of the squad.

From here to the end of the season he will need everyone, but the problem is that Bale isn't fulfilling his end of the bargain.

A lot of the blame for this can be traced back to the difficulties he has suffered with continuous injuries which have been punishing him all season without remission.

PSG, EIBAR AND GIRONA

Zidane will continue using him, but the problem is that he isn't satisfied with Bale's performance.

He expected more from the Welshman against Paris Saint-Germain in the Parc des Princes, against Eibar and also against Girona.

In the last match he scored a goal, but kept that disconnection in his performance, something that has led him to a permanent spot on the bench.

Neither Zidane or Bale are happy, but the Frenchman has already shown that he manages these situations of conflict with players very well.

"Bale can solve a match at any time," he said, noting in June that the relevant decisions will be made.

LATEST INJURIES

The sequence of the latest set of Bale's injuries saw him out of action between September and November.

It was the beginning of the player distancing himself from the coach, who apparently wasn't very happy with how the winger managed the whole process.

Zizou has always been patient with his players and gives them leeway to recover, no matter how important they are, but that's why the continuous relapses and playing for Wales don't find favour with him.

Bale needs to rethink the situation, but it's complicated.