I might be alone here, but it's funny how little affinity I have for Bale at this stage, even though he's only been gone for a few years. I don't dislike him at all, but I also don't enjoy watching him play or feel jealous of his new team like I do Modric or Berba. Maybe it's because we are so much better now than we used to be, but he just hasn't resonated with me the way I thought he would.
Nobody can doubt that he's enjoyed unprecedented team success since he's made that move, but I don't feel like he's risen to the personal heights that we all thought he might. For someone who had dreams of Balon D'or's, he's probably not a Top 10 player in the world or even one of the most important players on his team (could easily argue that CR7, Modric, Kroos, Marcelo, and Ramos are all above him). And people who we used to be considered better than like Neymar, Griezzmann, Sanchez, and Coutinho have all arguably surpassed him.
As unthinkable as would have been when we sold him, there's a few players in the squad I wouldn't swap him for now (Kane, Alli, Alderweireld, Eriksen maybe). Don't get me wrong, he can still get back to his best, but with all of the injuries piling up, it's starting to feel unlikely.
