Come home, Gareth! If Real Madrid don't want Bale, the Premier League will have him back

As boos and whistles rained down from tens of thousands in the stands when he touched the ball, El Clasico must have felt like a home match for Gareth Bale at the
Camp Nou on Sunday evening.

The most expensive footballer in history will wake up to his image on the front page of Madrid-based sports newspaper Marca today under the headline ‘forgiven too much’.

It is meant as a criticism for the whole Real Madrid side after their 2-1 defeat to Barcelona, but Bale is clearly the prime target after his worst display since joining the Spanish giants.

His 40 touches and 28 passes - just 57 per cent of which found their target - were fewer than any other outfield player that started the match and Bale will no doubt face the brunt of the criticism from fans and media in the post-mortem.

It has been a familiar theme this season, his decisive Copa Del Rey and Champions League final strikes swiftly forgotten by the demanding Madrid public amid accusations of selfishness and a lack of workrate.