The Nose Dive and Isolation of Gareth Bale

The Welshman has failed to learn Spanish in almost six years and is increasingly isolated within the Merengue dressing room

During his brief spell with Real Sociedad, former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland sharpshooter John Aldridge assured that he needed to learn just three words in Spanish in order to get by on the pitch. Once he had mastered the ubiquitous phrase hijo de puta (son of a bitch), Aldridge joked, he felt more than comfortable communicating with team-mates, referees and opponents alike.

Fast forward three decades and little seems to have changed for Brits abroad. The general consensus is that, after almost six years in Madrid, Gareth Bale still has severe difficulties in gelling with his multi-national dressing room companions.

Those issues, moreover, combined with a noticeable drop in performances on the pitch itself, now threaten to spell the end of the Welsh wizard's time at the Bernabeu as he becomes ever more isolated.