Real Madrid began their new La Liga campaign with an impressive 3-1 win away to Celta Vigo. Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and Lucas Vazquez helped the team earn the winning points.
While the team were enjoying their victory, coach Zinedine Zidane spoke about a player with whom his relationship seemed to have been turned sour.
Zidane praised Gareth Bale for his display against Celta Vigo and confirmed that the Wales star will remain at Real Madrid beyond the end of the transfer window. The move was called off and his chances of holding down a place in the team increased after fellow forward Marco Asensio sustained a serious knee injury.
Bale has been linked with a departure from the club throughout the transfer window and came close to joining Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning in July.
The coach had even openly stated that Bale was set to leave and even remarked saying: "If he leaves tomorrow, all the better."
With new arrival Eden Hazard ruled out for three weeks after picking up a muscle problem on Friday, it boosted Bale's chances of playing.
The footballer even created Madrid's opening goal, which helped Benzema score with a superb chance of pace down the left-wing.
Talking about the player Zidane said he had always intended to pick Bale against Celta. "He's going to stay and we all have to think of that as a positive thing," Zidane told a news conference.
"We have to focus on this season and nothing else. The injury to Hazard was bad luck for us but it didn't change the plans we had for Bale in this game. Gareth and everyone else here is going to show this shirt the respect it deserves."
Madrid's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also praised Bale saying, "We weren't surprised at all when Bale was named in the team because the boss counts on every single player and then decides the starting 11. Gareth played an outstanding game.
"We worked hard in pre-season but results didn't go our way for different reasons, but the season starts with the first game, not before.
"We played very well in the first half than in the second we fought hard together with a man down."
