Gareth Bale remembers how difficult it was for him to come to terms with the idea that he was left on the bench in the UEFA Champions League final against "Liverpool". In the second half of last season, G. Bale started showing great form and led the team to victories, but in the most important stages of the season, he was left on the bench. Coming onto the field, he showed that he should have been in the starting eleven - his two goals determined the victory against "Liverpool". Speaking about his relationship with Zinedine Zidane, G. Bale said: "Our relationship was quite good. We were not best friends, it was just a simple coach and player friendship." "I didn't know he was planning to leave the club. After that incident, I didn't talk to him much," - Bale said about his former manager. Remembering the final in Kiev, Bale said: "Of course, I was very disappointed when I had to sit on the bench. After recovering from my last injury, I played really good football. In the last four league matches, I scored five goals, so I was hoping to start in the final. I won't hide that I watched that goal over myself several times. Coming onto the field, I didn't feel like I had to prove something now, I just wanted to perform as well as possible for myself and the team. Whether you're on the bench or on the field, in the final you always want to go home with trophies. Even if you only get to play for 30 minutes, there are no major problems." Gareth Bale has made a significant contribution to three UEFA Champions League titles for Real Madrid. His major role was only not needed in the 2016-17 season.
