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Gareth Bale left the Santiago Bernabeu before the end of Real Madrid's 1-0 defeat to Barcelona on Saturday, according to Marca .

To the surprise of many, the Welshman was given an El Clasico start by manager Santiago Solari, despite recent concerns over both his form and future at the club.

Marca claim that Bale's start was "not expected by the majority of the group as the distance between the Welshman and his teammates continues to grow."

The former Tottenham man failed to impress during his 61 minutes on the pitch, and was whistled and jeered when he was replaced by Marco Asensio.

The report then states that Bale headed straight to the bench where he sat next to Marcelo, another outcast under Solari.

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

And they claim that after just "a few minutes" by the side of the pitch, Bale headed to the dressing room and then went straight home before the end of the match.

Ivan Rakitic's first half strike won the game for Barca, and gave them a second Bernabeu victory over their fierce rivals in four days following on from the 3-0 Copa Del Rey semi-final win last Wednesday.

The results have ensured that Real are pinning all of their hopes this season on what would be a fourth Champions League win in five years, with Ajax visiting Madrid for the second leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday.

Real are 2-1 up from the first.