Wales legend Ian Rush says Real Madrid fans should be applauding Gareth Bale, not criticising him.
Bale seems unwanted by manager Zinedine Zidane and in a poll by Spanish newspaper AS this week, 91% of respondents said they wanted him gone.
“When I look at his record at Real, he has an incredible record and I don’t know what happens there,” said Rush.
Bale’s recent years at Real have been dogged by injuries, critical fans and, at present, an unappreciative boss.
The message from the Wales star’s camp has been that Bale intends to go nowhere, and while Rush says “it looks as if” Bale will leave this summer, the choice is his.
“At the end of the day, he’s got to go where he wants to go. Clubs don’t tell him where to go,” Rush told BBC Sport Wales.
“If Gareth wants to stay there, stay there. But I’m sure if he wants to come back [to English football], there’ll be lots of clubs after him.”
Rush expects some “wheeling and dealing” in the off-season, but struggles to comprehend the animosity among Real fans for a player regarded as an icon in Wales.
“I think people are seeing things that I haven’t been seeing,” he said. “They should be applauding Gareth Bale because I was there last year [the 2018 Champions League final] – he scored a wonder goal against Liverpool.
“As soon as he came on as sub, I knew he was going to score, but I didn’t think he’d score a goal that good and they should be saying to him, ‘Thank you so much for your service’.”