Bale with a "normal" bulging disc

Kaka lost his speed at an early age because of injuries, and except that incredible speed he was neither the physical beast Ronaldo and Bale are or as hardworker as the latter.

Bale has constantly evolved as a player, not always for the better in my opinion.

There was a period back in 2010 where I really enjoyed watching him play, he was a very channelled winger with a penchant for the spectacular...alot in the mould of Vicente who was one of my favourite players when I had just began watching football. With Marcelo, I don't think we need such a winger, so I don't know how relevant that is.

I don't know where he wants to play now....probably somewhere like where Kaka played for Milan. In that case Kaka is a good comparison, though he had a certain finesse and vision, qualities Bale is unlikely to develop.

A dramatic loss of pace seems unlikely in the near future, until surgery is required. Even after, the most determined athletes somehow find a way to compensate. The condition is far from a death sentence.

If you say it's something that questions our thinking making this investment, then that's valid. On the other hand..I say...what thinking? It was an irrational purchase at every stage. We'[re just talking of degrees of stupidity.

Le Samourai wrote:Bale has constantly evolved as a player, not always for the better in my opinion.

There was a period back in 2010 where I really enjoyed watching him play, he was a very channelled winger with a penchant for the spectacular...alot in the mould of Vicente who was one of my favourite players when I had just began watching football. With Marcelo, I don't think we need such a winger, so I don't know how relevant that is.

I don't know where he wants to play now....probably somewhere like where Kaka played for Milan. In that case Kaka is a good comparison, though he had a certain finesse and vision, qualities Bale is unlikely to develop.

A dramatic loss of pace seems unlikely in the near future, until surgery is required. Even after, the most determined athletes somehow find a way to compensate. The condition is far from a death sentence.

If you say it's something that questions our thinking making this investment, then that's valid. On the other hand..I say...what thinking? It was an irrational purchase at every stage. We'[re just talking of degrees of stupidity.

I'm not saying that he will suffer from a dramatic loss of speed, but I think it's realistic that his speed will drop just enough for not-so-fast players to manage to keep up with him. Football isn't like sprinting. I believe that the strain on the legs throughout the career of a football player, is far more taxing than it is to a sprinter, for instance. Particularly, on those football players who rely on their speed to a high degree. Cristiano was far faster only 2-3 years ago, than he is today. And people call him and exception.

Some football players adapt to their aging process far better than others, based on their previous strengths, or the lack thereof. I'm convinced that Zidane peaked so late in his career, not only because he never relied on speed, but because his playing style suited a setting where his brilliant vision and understanding of football allowed him to create opportunities for his team, when everything slowed down around him. He was a dribbler, and he was exceptional in situations that required quick thinking, but I think that his ability to hold the ball and keep it out of harms way, coupled with his passing ability and vision, were the two most important aspects to his game, and they allowed him to keep up with the younger team members. I wouldn't be surprised if he were a top player today, had he still been a fit and active player. Speed and pace, on the other hand, are two things that players are bound to lose to some extent, at some point in their career. Maicon can tell you all about it. For someone like Bale, who largely bases his game on outrunning his opponents on a regular basis, how does such a player cope with the loss of his not even arguably biggest strength? I'm curious to see how his career will pan out. The way I see it, his other strengths aren't exceptional enough to shift over to, should his speed and pace dwindle.

He would have to convert to a CF at this point.. its only downhill when it comes to his speed..

Bale: Everything was blown out of proportion

After the 2-0 victory against Málaga on Saturday, Gareth Bale told Real Madrid TV that the way the media had “blown out of proportion massively” the nature of his injury.

http://www.insidespanishfootball.com/83321/bale-everything-was-blown-out-of-proportion/

I don't think that Ronaldo was much faster 2-3 years ago. It's just that he was just a bit more agile. He's still one of the fastest players in the world, having run 100m in 10s a few months ago. His game isn't as depedant on pace as people believe.

Hopefully Ronaldo will give Bale advice about off-the-ball movement.

Valkyrja wrote:I don't think that Ronaldo was much faster 2-3 years ago. It's just that he was just a bit more agile. He's still one of the fastest players in the world, having run 100m in 10s a few months ago. His game isn't as depedant on pace as people believe.

Hopefully Ronaldo will give Bale advice about off-the-ball movement.

Oh, he was definitely faster 2-3 years ago. Unless, he's deliberately letting opposing players that he has left in the dust previously, catch up to him. Even if his game isn't very dependent on pace, you'll occasionally see him run at full speed down the left flank, during counter attacks. Obviously, he's still very fast, but I think it's quite apparent that he has lost some of his pace, over the past few years.