Gareth Bale 'was only Real Madrid player to reject pay cut'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 18 October 2020

Gareth Bale is reportedly the only Real Madrid player to have rejected a 10% pay cut at the Bernabeu in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Real Madrid outcast Gareth Bale was reportedly the only player at the Bernabeu to refuse a salary cut in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Wales international - currently back at Tottenham Hotspur on loan - is understood to be earning a staggering weekly wage of £500,000 in the Spanish capital.

With the COVID-19 outbreak forcing the suspension of football and closure of stadiums across the globe, Real Madrid's players are all said to have agreed a 10% pay cut in order to help the club navigate through the difficult financial period.

However, according to Cadena Ser, Bale was the sole player in Madrid to reject a 10% decrease on his mammoth wages, with Zinedine Zidane's side managing to save £45m courtesy of those who accepted.

Bale was supposedly advised by his entourage to reject the pay cut, and the former Southampton man instead decided to contribute a £500,000 donation to the Cardiff & Vale Health Charity.

The 31-year-old's second coming at Spurs saw Jose Mourinho's men let a 3-0 lead slip against West Ham United, who levelled late on in the London derby, with Bale appearing off the bench in that 3-3 draw on Sunday.