The Welshman was omitted from Los Blancos' squad to face Manchester City and Zinedine Zidane said the Welshman had told him he did not want to travel.
Gareth Bale did not travel to Manchester for Real Madrid's Champions League clash with Man City because he knew he would not be picked by Zinedine Zidane, according to reports.
The Welshman was omitted from Los Blancos' squad to face Pep Guardiola's side in their last-16 clash on Friday night, with Zidane claiming the player did not want to take the trip to England.
However, the Evening Standard report Bale did not want to experience yet another humiliation by being an unused substitute or being left out of the match-day squad all together, as has been the case of late.
In the 11 games Real Madrid have played since coming back from lockdown, Bale has clocked up a total of 100 minutes of football and was jettisoned entirely for Los Blancos' final game of the campaign.
It is claimed Bale knew he was going to be, to all intents and purposes, a spare part at the Etihad and so therefore refused to travel on the grounds he wanted to avoid watching another 90 minutes go by from the touchline – not because he didn't want to play.
It is said that a similar situation arose with fellow outcast James Rodriguez, who requested not to travel to Athletic Club in La Liga last month as he knew he would play no part in the game.
On Thursday night, Zidane said: "Many things have been said but we have a respectful relationship between the club and player.
"But all I'll say is he preferred to not travel. The rest is between us and him. We had a private conversation that will remain private "
The Frenchman later added: " Bale didn't disappoint me. I'm not going to tell you anything. It's the third question about Gareth, I just said what happened "
"I have a lot of respect for Gareth and I think what goes on in the changing room stays in the changing room. This is a private matter "
Asked if Bale had a future at Real, Zidane said: "I don't know. Now he is a current player at Real Madrid "
"That has not changed. He is our player. I respect that and I respect him, like everyone else "
"He preferred not to play. That is the only thing I can tell you. The rest of us are all here, preparing for the game. The only thing we are concentrating on is the game."
It is just the latest twist in this increasingly insidious saga involving Bale, Zidane and the Spanish champions.
Last month, he was pictured laughing almost in disbelief after Zidane failed to use him in one match against Alaves and even pretended to take a snooze on the bench, using his coronavirus face covering as a makeshift sleeping mask.
In the next match, he once again sparked a big reaction with his antics on the Real Madrid bench.
The Wales star was an unused substitute in the win over Granada but ensured he hit the headlines by making what appeared to be a 'binoculars' gesture for the cameras.
After their penultimate game of the season, at home to Villareal, Los Blancos lifted their 34th La Liga trophy, but while Bale was part of the celebrations, it was awkward to say the least.
The scenes of jubilation jarred when the cameras panned to Bale, once a key component of Real's vaunted front line, felt utterly ostracised from the celebrations.
Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, has recently stated his client is happy to see out the final two years of his lucrative contract in Madrid.
However, the 31-year-old has been urged by a number of people to move on and resurrect his career.