As Real Madrid’s worst domestic season since the turn of the century came to a close under a chorus of boos from the Bernabéu faithful, Gareth Bale sulked. As was all too common during this miserable season, Bale was purely a spectator for Madrid’s 0-2 loss to Real Betis, watching from the bench but never making it onto the pitch in what everyone must hope is his final game in Spain, one last affront to the man who came to Madrid to realize a dream and will leave fleeing a nightmare. It’s a shame things had to end like this, even while an ugly conclusion to a strangely under-appreciated six years of Advertisement When Bale could’ve stepped up in Ronaldo’s absence, he instead stepped back, putting together arguably his worst individual season of his career. And it felt like everyone—from the fans to the three(!) Madrid managers to his teammates and to even his former biggest champion, club president Florentino Pérez—grew to bitterly resent him for it. With the rise of Vinícius Júnior this season and the imminent arrival of Eden Hazard this summer, there’s no place for Bale at the Bernabéu, on or off the field. And so comes…