Carlo Ancelotti wants Gareth Bale to leave Real Madrid in a blaze of glory rather than with his reputation sullied, hailing the Welsh winger as a history maker.
Bale was a €100million (£85.3m) signing from Tottenham nine years ago during Ancelotti's first stint as Los Blancos coach, and with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema he formed part of a thrilling front three.
The 32-year-old has already won the Champions League four times in Madrid, as well as two LaLiga titles, but in recent seasons Bale has been nudged towards the fringes of the squad.
Injuries have been a factor, and while Bale has been reliably brilliant for the Wales national team, opportunities in Madrid have become sporadic. He spent last season on loan at Tottenham.
His contract expires at the end of June, and Bale will be moving on. This season he has faced vicious criticism in some sections of the Spanish media, recently being dubbed a "parasite" in sports daily Marca, and there has been a danger of him leaving without any fanfare, or even amid a torrent of negativity.
Bale did not help himself when he paraded a flag bearing the immortal slogan "Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order" after helping his national team qualify for Euro 2020.
Yet head coach Ancelotti says Bale, who could face Getafe in LaLiga on Saturday, is worthy of respect for his achievements in Spain.
He has scored 81 goals in 175 LaLiga games for the club, and has managed five goals and two assists in eight league games against Getafe.
In the Champions League, Bale has totted up 16 goals and 12 assists in 41 starts and 16 substitute appearances. That figure includes two crucial goals in Madrid's 3-1 defeat of Liverpool in the 2018 final in Kyiv.
The most recent outing from the bench came on Wednesday, late in the day as Madrid won 3-1 at Chelsea in the first leg of their quarter-final.
Madrid could yet win a famous double in Bale's final season at the club.
"Gareth Bale is fit right now. I'm sure he wants to show it here at Real Madrid," said Ancelotti. "It would be deserved and right for him to bid farewell to the Bernabeu.
"He expects confidence in him from us. He wants to finish his career at Real Madrid on a high note. We will see how it goes.
"He has already made history at Real Madrid with his games, his goals and his triumphs. He's a very respected player, and we want the best for him."
Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani completes Sampdoria takeover
A consortium that includes Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani has completed its takeover of Italian club Sampdoria.
Leeds’ majority shareholder Radrizzani’s company Aser Group and finance company Gestio Capital announced they had concluded a deal to save financially-stricken Sampdoria late on Tuesday night.
In a statement released on Sky Sports Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio’s social media sites, Radrizzani said: “We are nothing short of thrilled to be able to announce that we have completed the acquisition of this extraordinary club.
“The history and coat of arms of Sampdoria are safe and I think my happiness is (for) of all the people who were suffering for these colours.
“My thanks at this time go above all to all those people who worked relentlessly to ensure that this agreement found a just conclusion.
“And in particular I have to extend a huge thank you to Matteo (Manfredi, Gestio Capital principal) and to the lawyer De Gennaro.
“Without them none of this would have been possible. From today we move on…. and I personally can’t wait to get to work.”
Radrizzani, who bought Leeds for £45million in 2017, is expected to sell his 56 per cent stake in the Premier League club to American co-owners 49ers Enterprises.
The financial arm of NFL franchise the San Francisco 49ers increased its stake in Leeds to 44 per cent at the end of 2021 with a deal in place to buy Radrizzani’s stake and take full control before January 2024.
49ers Enterprises has been reported to be keen to complete a takeover this summer, but the deal was contingent on Leeds remaining in the Premier League and it remains to be seen how relegation will affect a possible change of ownership at Elland Road.
Leeds’ three-year stay in the top flight was ended on Sunday when they lost 4-1 to Tottenham at Elland Road in their last game of the season.
Pep Guardiola takes top honours at LMA Awards
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been named the League Managers Association’s manager of the year.
Guardiola, who has guided City to a third straight Premier League title and is hunting a domestic treble, has won the Sir Alex Ferguson trophy for a third time and was also named Premier League manager of the year.
City face Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday and Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
Guardiola, who has previously won the award in 2017-18 and 2020-21, said: “I’m delighted to receive the Premier League Manager of the Year. It’s an incredible honour to get his trophy.
“We are in the best league in the world and I promise you we will be there next season.”
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta, Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, Newcastle’s Eddie Howe, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery and Fulham’s Marco Silva had all been nominated.
Vincent Kompany, who guided Burnley straight back to promotion to the top flight, won the Championship award, beating fellow nominees Michael Carrick (Middlesbrough), Paul Heckingbottom (Sheffield United), Rob Edwards (Luton) and Mark Robins (Coventry).
Kompany said: “The players have done it and the staff have been relentless.
“I can still relate to the players, I feel connected to what they are going through. I make mistakes and don’t see myself as the finished article. You make mistakes and learn. I’m pretty pleased where I am today.”
Plymouth boss Steven Schumacher took the League One award after guiding the Pilgrims to the title and Richie Wellens was voted League Two manager of the year after leading Leyton Orient to the top of the fourth tier.
Ange Postecoglou: Celtic have to be at their ‘absolute best’ against Inverness
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has stressed they have to be at their “absolute best” against Inverness in Saturday’s Scottish Cup final after hearing about the history between the clubs in the competition.
Caley Thistle have knocked Celtic out of the Scottish Cup three times in seven meetings this century and the Hoops needed to come from behind in two of their triumphs.
Inverness beat Celtic 3-1 at Parkhead as a First Division club in the first encounter between the teams in February 2000 in a result that cost John Barnes his job as manager.
They also beat Martin O’Neill’s side in 2003 four days after the Hoops had won at Anfield on their way to the UEFA Cup final.
Ronny Deila also fell foul of Caley Thistle in the 2015 semi-finals in a result that cost Celtic the chance of a treble.
When told some people were predicting a walkover when the Scottish champions face a side who finished fifth in the cinch Championship, Postecoglou told Celtic TV: “The people at this club don’t tell me about that, they tell me about the past results against them, which makes you realise that if you are not on it on the day you can be beaten and there’s consequences to that.
“I can assure you that no-one in the building here is going into it with anything other than the approach that we have to be at our absolute best on the day.”
Caley Thistle have only played once since their semi-final win over Falkirk, losing to Ayr on May 5 in a late defeat which cost them a place in the Premiership play-offs.
“It’s a bit of a weird one for them, they won’t have had a game for close to a month by the time the cup final comes around,” Postecoglou said. “I’m sure they have been working away and had bounce games when they can.
“It’s a different opponent for us but, irrespective, it’s a cup final. Who the opponent is becomes secondary to the fact that you know you need to perform on the day and if you do there is a massive reward at the end of it.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
