This archive report was first published on 23 July 2019.
Published on July 23, 2019, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has denied showing disrespect to Gareth Bale, sparking a controversy that has left the Welsh forward's future at the club uncertain.
According to Zidane, Bale refused to come on as a substitute against Bayern Munich on Sunday, a move that has been linked to the player's potential exit from the club.
"I haven't shown a lack of respect towards anyone," Zidane said in a statement.
"What I said the other day is that the club was working on Bale's exit. I've always said the same thing: the players are the most important ones in all of this. Whenever there's a player involved, I'll always back them," he added.
However, Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett has complained that Zidane had "no respect" for the 30-year-old, citing the manager's comments as evidence of a lack of respect.
"Gareth didn't come on (against Bayern Munich) because he didn't want to, and he said it was because the club was working on his exit," Zidane said.
Bale has been linked with a number of clubs over the summer, including Premier League sides Manchester United and Tottenham, from whom he joined the Spanish giants in 2013 for a then world record £85m.
