Gareth Bale‘s struggles to settle into life under the shadow of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid have been well documented, and it has recently been revealed that the Wales international sought professional help to battle such demons.
The 26-year-old has been in superb form for club and country since the start of the season, scoring two goals and registering one assist in La Liga, along with heading in the crucial winner over Cyprus in Wales’ Euro 2016 qualifying fixture earlier this month.
And in a report by the Daily Mail, it’s claimed that Bale employed the guidance of peak-performance coach Jamie Edwards a few months ago, and he could be key to the winger’s explosive start to the new campaign.
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It’s stated that Edwards specialises in training the ‘football brain’, drawing on his past experience of overcoming his height disadvantage of 5 ft 6 to compete for the England basketball team at the Commonwealth Games in the 90s.
Bale is said to have been receiving help from the performance coach on how to cope with the negative Los Blancos dressing room that has been created by Cristiano Ronaldo and his self-importance.
The report claims that Ronaldo turned his back on team-mate Bale after learning that the former Tottenham Hotspur forward hadn’t learned the Spanish language alone.
Ronaldo’s behaviour and the rise of playmaker Isco forced Bale to seek the guidance of Edwards.
According to the British newspaper, Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart – who have too kicked off the season with excellent performances – have also sought the help of Edwards.