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Former Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale has said that there's more than on-field performance that goes into winning a prestigious individual honour like the Ballon d'Or.
Bale - who retired in 2023 - had his best Ballon d'Or finish of sixth in 2016, behind his then club teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, after a stellar season with club and country. The 36-year-old contributed 19 goals and 15 assists in 31 games across competitions as Zinedine Zidane's side won the UEFA Champions League and finished second in La Liga.
Gareth Bale also had a fine campaign with his national team at Euro 2016, scoring three times in six games as Wales lost 2-0 to eventual champions Portugal in the semi-final.
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In an interaction with GQ, Bale was asked whether his not 'embracing' the media affected his Ballon d'Or chances, to which he replied:
"I mean, there's a lot more to it than a performance on a pitch. It goes with an image so the media will definitely have favourites – it's not just (about) football. I wish it was, but it's not. I don't think anybody would deny that."
Bale featured for Wales at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar before calling time on his decorated career, which yielded five UEFA Champions League and three La Liga titles (all with Real Madrid), along with other domestic and European honours.
It's pertinent to note that despite scoring over 100 goals and winning big titles galore during his near decade-long stay at the Santiago Bernabeu, Bale had a difficult relationship with the Spanish media for the perception that he prioritised other things over the club.
Who's the last Real Madrid player to win the Ballon d'Or?
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most successful players to play for Real Madrid. During his nine-season stay between 2009 and 2018, the 40-year-old scored a club-record 450 goals and won four Ballon d'Or awards (2013-14, 2016-17).
However, Ronaldo isn't the last Los Blancos player to win the award. Luka Modric ended Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or duopoly in 2018, and four years later, Karim Benzema joined an illustrious group of eight Madrid players to land the prestigious accolade.
Ronaldo now plays with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, while Benzema also plays in the same league, with Al-Hilal. Modric, meanwhile, plies his trade with AC Milan after leaving the Santiago Bernabeu this summer on a free transfer.
