"I don't feel I have a point to prove -- I've played long enough to be OK about that."
Gareth Bale insists he has nothing to prove as prepares to play his first game in England since joining Real Madrid for a world record fee.
The Wales international faces Manchester City in the Champions semifinal at the Etihad on Tuesday aiming to secure his second Champions League winner's medal since joining the Spanish giants in a reported £100 million deal.
Bale missed the Champions League game with Liverpool last season through injury and will play his first game in England since leaving Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 as the Player of the Year. [espnfc.com]
Kevin de Bruyne is one of the big threats to Real Madrid when they play Manchester City tonight, but he could have been lining up in a Madrid shirt instead.
Last summer, Zinedine Zidane recommended the then Wolfsburg player to Florentino Perez, according to Spanish sources.
During the last pre-season, Madrid were scouring the market for a young player at a high level to improve their squad. Zidane said the best bet was De Bruyne.
However, Madrid didn’t make a serious effort to sign the Belgian international who had led the modest Wolfsburg into the Champions League.
Zidane met opposition in the form of Rafa Benitez, who had just taken over as Real Madrid’s manager. The Madrid-born coach was opposed to going all out for De Bruyne and convinced Perez that the player Madrid needed was Mateo Kovacic, 21. [Source OkDiario]