Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has announced tonight the list of players called up for their Champions League match against Club Brugge tomorrow, with two big players absent, according to Calciomercato.com.
The French World Cup winner decided not to call up either Gareth Bale or James Rodriguez for the game tomorrow.
Both players were on the club’s transfer list this summer, but a lack of convincing offers for either of them saw them both remain with Los Blancos. Bale, who joined Real Madrid from Tottenham back in 2013 for a then-record €100.8 million, has struggled to settle in the Spanish capital over the last seven seasons, constantly being a source of rumour and controversy.
Colombian James Rodriguez recently returned to Madrid after a two-season loan spell with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, where he performed well. However, Zidane never appeared keen on the 28-year-old and attempted to offload him this summer, to no avail.
Whilst Club Brugge aren’t the toughest opponents that Real Madrid are likely to face in the Champions League this season, clearly Zidane was so unimpressed by both the players in the club’s recent game against Atletico Madrid that he decided against bringing them.