Back to the Soccer Newsfeed

Gareth Bale's Surprise Inclusion in El Clasico Showed Growing Division in Real Madrid Dressing Room

Gareth Bale's shock inclusion in Saturday's El Clasico just served to highlight the deepening division in the Real Madrid dressing room, according to reports from Spain.

The Wales international has been at the centre of headlines in recent weeks, after several of his Madrid teammates revealed their frustrations at seeing Bale unwilling to adapt to the Spanish lifestyle.

At the weekend, the 29-year-old was handed a starting berth in the La Liga clash against Barcelona, and according to MARCA, Santiago Solari's decision was 'not expected by the majority of the group'.

The report added that the 'distance between the Welshman and his teammates continues to grow and many players did not understand his inclusion in the starting eleven'.