Gareth Bale has returned to Real Madrid following his spell back at Tottenham with a baffling decision to hand him a new shirt number ahead of the 2021/22 La Liga season.
The Spanish giants took on AC Milan in a pre-season friendly on Sunday, with the Wales star selected by Real boss Carlo Ancelotti in the starting line-up.
There was a completely different look for Bale, however, as he donned the No.50 shirt instead of his regular number.
Whilst pre-season numbers cannot be read into too much, it was telling that the rest of the squad were all wearing their original shirt numbers.
The only change was that of David Alaba who was awarded the No.4 following the departure of long-term captain Sergio Ramos.
Having held the No.11 shirt since he arrived in Madrid from Tottenham back in 2013, it could therefore suggest that the Welshman does not have much of a future at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Bale had been linked with a return to Spurs following a successful loan spell in north London last season where the 32-year-old netted 15 goals in 34 appearances across all competitions.
Following the strange decision over his shirt number, Bale’s day did not really improve all that much as he won but also missed a penalty in the first-half against Milan.
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The former Tottenham winger Bale has just one year left to run on his current Real Madrid contract.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 years ago
