Just two years ago, Esera Chee Kam was looking down the barrel of an NRL career, playing with two brothers in Manly’s SG Ball team.

The teen and brothers Livingston and Michael, now a Wests Tigers centre,l were touted as rugby league’s next family dynasty, in the same vein as the Burgess family, growing up close but competitive.

Now the NSW Gen Blue outside centre is looking to follow in the footsteps of his idol Israel Folau and make his mark in rugby union.

Playing in the NSW Gen Blue program put him on a collision course with childhood hero Folau, a chance meeting one that still brings a smile to his face.

“Growing up as a little kid always following league, I’ve always followed Izzy Folau and just seeing him switch over to union was pretty cool,” he said.

“I got to meet him a few weeks ago and it was unreal.”

Chee Kam’s quietly-spoken nature belies his powerful build, that has made him a standout 13 in the national U20s competition this season and he has set lofty goals for his future in the code

“Just being around those (Super Rugby) guys seeing them at this level’s pretty cool and you just want to work hard and hopefully one day you get to be there, playing next to them,’ he said.

U20s coach Pat McCutcheon said Chee Kam was a tantalising prospect after just two years in rugby.

“You give him time and space and he’s really dangerous with the ball,” he said.

“He’s a little bit unsuspecting looking at him but he’s been exciting to watch.”

While he admits he was a Queensland Origin fan growing up, Chee Kam is all about NSW this weekend as he has his own taste of the bitter interstate rivalry.

“That’s one of the games everyone gets hyped up for, and that’s kind of like this week’s game so I’m pretty keen,” he said.

“To be honest, I didn’t think me and the boys would get to this stage, and I’m just really keen to rip in this weekend.”

They’ll be the underdogs against the all-conquering Reds U20s side that hasn’t dropped a game in two seasons of the Super U20s competition,, but that won’t worry them on Sunday.

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McCutcheon has held the team’s reins in his first year as a coach, and said the team’s growth had astounded him.

“They’ve got a really strong drive within them and you can step back and watch the group flourish and I think this year we’ve seen, we’ve set the environment for them and they just jump all over it,” he said.

A win against the powerhouse northerners would just breathe a little bit more confidence into this underdog side as well, McCutcheon said.

“It’s an opportunity for these young blokes to feel that passion and that rivalry. I think it’s great and I hope they tear them apart,” he said.

“To  go up there in their own backyard and really challenge them and knock them off and win the Super U20s in 2017 would be fantastic.

“I think it would build their confidence and give them a sense of belief that they can do it and they can achieve great things.”

Queensland will host the Super U20s final on Sunday at Ballymore, kicking off at 2pm AEST streamed LIVE on RUGBY.com.au.

RUPA has stepped up its efforts to campaign for the retention of five Australian teams, launching an online petition on Thursday afternoon.

The players’ association launched a petition on Thursday afternoon through the website strongerasfive.com, to campaign to the ARU to veto the possibility of axing a team.

A petition is close to the strongest action RUPA can take to try and protest the action, with the current collective bargaining agreement preventing industrial action.

As part of the current collective bargaining agreement, players have agreed not to take any organised action such as a strike, meaning the threat of any major player action would be minimal.

While the agreement allows for individual players to take action or protest initiatives of their own accord, they couldn’t walk off the job in disagreement.

Strikes are relatively uncommon in rugby, but just a fortnight ago the players from Top 14 side Stade Francais took strike action over a possible merger.

Players have been vocal about their desire to maintain five Australian Super Rugby teams as recently as this week with reports that the Force had already been chosen as the franchise to cut, should South Africa move to remove two of its teams.

RUPA boss Ross Xenos has been open about the threat of a player exodus to overseas with the current uncertainty surrounding a number of teams this week, with contract negotiations still paused on non-Wallabies players.

They do however have one potential bargaining chip should one team be axed, with final say over the structure of the NRC each season.

While Super Rugby contracted players are committed to play in the NRC, they could opt to hold off on approving the structure unless an affected provincial team is cut from the NRC as well.

That would mean, hypothetically, that the defending champions Perth Spirit could potentially be cut from the NRC if this week’s reports prove to be true.

RUPA could also play hardball with the use of players’ images and other rights should an Australian team be axed, but given the catch 22 situation that creates, that seems unlikely.

Xenos said RUPA was exploring its avenues when it came to possible action should its calls to retain five teams be unsuccessful.

“Obviously, all stakeholders in Australian rugby are awaiting SANZAAR and the ARU’s final position on the future of the Super Rugby competition,” he said.

“We have considered and are considering the options available to the players in order to protect their best interests in the long-term.”

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A new collective bargaining agreement is currently being negotiated, with that needing to be cemented this year.

A potentially serious knee injury to Kyle Godwin has compounded a disastrous night of Super Rugby for the finals-bound ACT Brumbies.

The Queensland Reds snatched a 16-15 win over the Brumbies courtesy of a last-gasp Quade Cooper penalty in Friday’s clash at a dreary Suncorp Stadium.

It was just the sixth time the Reds have beaten the Brumbies in the competition’s history.

But aside from the mental blow as the Australian conference leaders approach the finals, the Brumbies have come away with four fresh injury concerns.

The biggest worry is centre Kyle Godwin, who came off in the second half with a knee issue, while winger Aidan Toua will also be sent for scans on his ankle.

“We’ve picked up a couple of bad ones there, which won’t be good for us,” coach Stephen Larkham said.

“KG doesn’t look good at this stage … a bit of damage to the knee there.

“He’s a pretty tough character and couldn’t play on.

“They had a bit of a look afterwards and thought maybe it’s not as good as they first thought.

“The fact (Toua) had to come off the field means there’s a little bit of damage there.

“It’s devastating for those boys to miss out if they are out for a significant amount of time.”

Flanker Chris Alcock also suffered a nasty gash to his thigh, one that prompted Brumbies officials on the sidelines to call for a doctor from the crowd to examine it.

He was later sent to hospital to have the cut cleaned up, but would appear to be in some doubt for next weekend’s clash with the Chiefs in Hamilton.

Wallabies lock Rory Arnold, meanwhile, was forced from the field with a shoulder “stinger” but Larkham was confident he would pull up well.

The Brumbies had just two players on their injury list before facing the Reds – long-term casualties Saia Fainga’a (foot) and Lausii Taliauli (knee) – while cancer survivor Christian Lealiifano was slated to play on Friday night but was a late withdrawal due to a hamstring strain.

Larkham said he was disappointed with how the Brumbies finished the match and their poor response to Queensland’s late surge.

The Brumbies led 15-6 midway through the first half but were helpless as the Reds piled on 10 unanswered points at the death.

“It was one of those games that just slipped away in the last five minutes,” Larkham said.

“They finished the game, we wanted to finish the game. They controlled it well.

“It’s something that we’ll learn from. The beauty is we get another opportunity to learn.”

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The Brumbies take on the Chiefs next weekend in their final regular season clash, before hosting a quarter-final in a fortnight.

All Blacks five-eighth Lima Sopoaga has confirmed he is leaving New Zealand to play rugby in the UK at the end of the year.

Unconfirmed reports on Wednesday suggested that the Highlanders No.10 would be heading to the Coventry-based Wasps side.

On Thursday, the 26-year-old announced he would be leaving New Zealand with a “heavy heart” at the end of the 2018 season to take up a contract in Britain.

“It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make but is one I’m at peace with,” Sopoaga said on Instagram.

“I have loved every minute of being a professional footballer here in NZ. I’ve made life long friends and memories that I’ll cherish forever.”

Sopoaga thanked fans, teammates, coaches, family and friends who stood by him.

“So here’s to 2018, one last roll of the dice before I head off to experience life on the other side of the world. I’m ready,” he said.

Sopoaga recently fell to third in the All Blacks’ fly half pecking order, behind Hurricanes No.10 Beauden Barrett and Chiefs playmaker Damian McKenzie.

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A dark cloud may be hovering over the Western Force and Southern Kings, but it didn’t stop the two endangered franchises from producing a 12-try thriller in Sunday’s Super Rugby clash at nib Stadium in Perth.

Kings fullback Malcolm Jaer scored a hat-trick, but the Force overcame a 13-point deficit with just 15 minutes remaining to secure the 46-41 win.

The two teams played the exact style of rugby that fans love – fast and attacking and with plenty of spectacular running tries.

Force winger Alex Newsome scored a double to underline his credentials as a star in the making.
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Newsome’s second try was particularly special, with the 22-year-old smothering a kick, soccering the ball and then beating an opponent to touch down.

But the most spectacular moment of the match belonged to Kings flyhalf Lionel Cronje.

Cronje did his best Harlem Globetrotter impersonation by manoeuvring the ball 360 degrees around his body to confuse the Force defence, before dribbling a perfect ball for Jaer to collect for his third try.

That try gave the Kings a 38-25 edge with just 15 minutes to play, but the Force fought back through Newsome’s try and hit the lead in the 72nd minute courtesy of a penalty try following a dominant scrum.

However, the joy of the entertaining display could soon be replaced by utter despair for players and fans alike.

Both the Force and Kings entered the match facing the very real prospect of soon being cut from next year’s competition.

Those nerves were amplified when SANZAAR announced they would release a significant statement about the structure of the competition after the match.

A crowd of 8474 turned out for the contest, with some fans displaying ‘Save the Force’ banners and posters.

If Super Rugby reverts to a 15-team format next season, the Force, Kings and Cheetahs appear to be the three most likely teams to be axed. 

Result

Western Force 46

Tries: Jono Lance, Alex Newsome (2), Dane Haylett-Petty, Ben McCalman, penalty try.

Cons: Lance (2), Ian Prior (2).

Pens: Lance (2).

Southern Kings 41

Tries: Justin Forwood, Yaw Penxe (3), Malcolm Jaer, Makazole 
Mapimpi.

Cons: Lionel Cronje (4).

Pen: Pieter-Steyn de Wet.

The Waratahs of Friday night’s loss against the Kings were a team devoid of confidence, not talent, centre Rob Horne says.

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Horne, speaking to media on Monday afternoon, said his initial reaction to the loss was that players weren’t going with their guts.

“For me, when you come off the field you get a bit of a sense of what’s happened,’ he said.

“You haven’t watched anything you’ve just been in it, so my initial thing was just a bit of indecision and not backing that first instinct.

“We’ve seen through reviewing and talking to each other, that’s definitely a part of what’s happened, what’s been happening.”

There’s no shortage of stars among the Waratahs outfit, a team that includes 12 capped Wallabies and two players earmarked as the next Test generation, and Horne said they had to somehow rediscover the confidence that had made them a force in the past.

“We’re a team that’s got good footballers in it so we just have to back ourselves and what we want to do in that moment, not think, ‘Oh, what if that, or what if this?’,” he said.

“That second guessing, it hurts you.”

Coach Daryl Gibson said after Friday’s game that there was an element of undeserved complacency in his team against the Kings and Horne admitted that was a possibility.

“I didn’t really feel that from the playing group but obviously when things didn’t go well in the game that had to be a part of it,” he said.

“If you’re real and if you’re doing your job to the best of your ability, we like to think that we can win our games at home.”

The Waratahs convened on Sunday for a review, before getting back to training on Monday, a session that necessitated some brutal honesty.

Gibson admitted he had to tread carefully in his approach to this week, with a ‘fear’ weighing on the players’ shoulders.

“Particularly when you’re in a losing situation, the players carry a great sense of responsibility and fear around their performance and making mistakes,” he said.

“It is a fine balancing act.

“(We’re) trying to take away that second guessing  and getting them to play with that confidence and instinctiveness that we know that they can.”

Gibson didn’t shy away from questions about his future on Monday, which have been a regular hurdle for the Waratahs coach with just two wins from eight matches.

“As head coach, I take the lion’s share of (responsibility) and the criticism that comes with that,” he said.

“I can’t worry what’s going to happen with my future, I can’t control what may happen, I can only control what’s going to happen in the present.

“I’m very firmly focused on making sure we get our performance right.”

The Waratahs’ woes look set to be compounded by the potential absence of Tolu Latu this week, with the hooker suffering a shoulder injury that ended his game against the Kings early.

The Waratahs travel to Brisbane to take on the Reds on Saturday night, kicking off at 7:45pm AEST, LIVE on FOX SPORTS and via radio on RUGBY.com.au.

The Vancouver-based actor reveals what it’s like to be involved with the game and that he auditioned for the roles of Alex Hunter and Gareth Walker

FIFA 17 revolutionised the EA Sports franchise with the introduction of The Journey – the first story mode ever included in a FIFA game. The mode saw players take control of a young Alex Hunter and follow his story from playing football on the playground all the way to the Champions League final. Journey Mode was a three-part story which recently concluded in FIFA 19 and while Hunter was originally the star, a second character won the hearts of many fans: Danny Williams.

Goal caught up with Chris Walters, the actor behind Williams to find out what it was like appearing in a video game and any behind-the-scenes secrets he has from working on the game.

Walters grew up in England before his family moved to Vancouver, Canada not long after he discovered his passion for acting. When his agent saw a role that required a British accent, she and Walters jumped at the opportunity. He had no idea what the role was but it soon became clear once he began reading the script.

“I was given the dialogue and it was clearly about football, I knew EA Sports were based out in Vancouver so I had an inkling that this might have been for a FIFA game.

“During the audition we acted out two scenes, one was Danny having a go at Alex when they first meet in the car park and Danny has a go at him for what he’s driving. I actually tried for all three parts (Williams, Hunter and Gareth Walker) and the other scene was the plane scene with Gareth and Alex.”

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Walters added that he was happy he landed the role of Williams in the end: “It was very fun being Danny Williams, he did get bigger as the series went on but then I think that allowed them to write in the quieter moments he had in FIFA 19 when he was by himself in his own apartment and losing all his stuff.

“So you had those private low moments which contrasted with his bigger, clowning-around moments and you could see why he was doing it. It’s those differences that I really enjoyed although the comedy parts were a lot of fun too, making up lines as we go along and seeing which one sticks.

“There was a lot of freedom from the director who allowed us to improvise which was especially fun during the post-match interview scenes where you had to cover all three branches with your answers.”

Walters, a life-long Blackburn fan, has played FIFA since he was a kid, starting with FIFA 95. Combining his love for football and acting in one role was a dream come true – especially as this was his first big project. While used to acting on stage or in front of the camera, appearing in a video game was a new and enjoyable experience.

He said: “Acting in motion-capture suits was quite freeing actually, I’d say it was a combination of being on stage and filming TV work. The director is leading you like it’s a film project because he wants that to match up with what the computers are grabbing but then you’ve got the big space in the warehouse which gives the feeling of theatre.

“And with the character direction we ended up going with Danny of him being ostentatious and big, all the things you’re supposed to be on stage, and for him, his life is a stage when he’s in public. It was very much a mix, very open and I liked the combination of it. 

“Plus, I found it was easier to forgive myself when watching my performance back in a video game. When it’s animated, it’s less in my hands, somebody has taken what I look like and designed around that as best they could. Whereas if you’re looking at yourself in a film and you see yourself do something stupid with your eyebrow or silly with your mouth, then you get annoyed at yourself for doing something stupid.”

Having already revealed that he had tried for the role of Alex Hunter, Goal asked Walters if there were any other secrets he had from the filming process during his three years as part of the Journey. “The process was always very nice and relaxed, no one was stressed or if they were, they hid it well,” he added.

“As I said before, There was a lot of freedom to do different things with the lines and improvise. I think I threw my partner’s name in at one point during an interview scene, saying how the club was welcoming, even Martha the tea lady. I’m not sure if that made it into the game but it might still be in there, it was nice that I could throw in something like that.”

While the Journey Mode has become a staple of the recent FIFA games, the Journey was always intended as a trilogy. For now, there is no official news on whether the Journey will return or if there will be a brand new story once EA Sports releases the next addition to the FIFA franchise.

After more than a decade of being dominated by Mexican teams, MLS clubs will be looking to lift the league’s first title

Major League Soccer’s growth has been clear to see over the course of the past decade, with rapid expansion and the continued improvement of the talent pool. But one measuring stick used to gauge the league’s quality has continued to prove unflattering.

The Concacaf Champions League is the long-standing obstacle standing in the way of MLS attaining the international respect it craves. For the past two decades, MLS has been dominated by Liga MX in Concacaf club competitions, first in the old Concacaf Champions Cup, and over the past decade in the CCL. No MLS team has lifted Concacaf hardware in 19 years, and only three MLS teams have even reached the final in the decade since Concacaf changed to a Champions League format.

MLS has managed to close the gap with Liga MX, delivering stronger challenges to the Mexican teams, but winning the tournament has eluded MLS teams, most recently in 2018 when Toronto FC came within a penalty shootout of winning the title.

This year, MLS is sending a strong contingent of contenders to try and secure that first CCL trophy, led by reigning MLS Cup champions Atlanta United and Supporters’ Shield winners New York Red Bulls. The path to that first title will be difficult for both Eastern Conference powers though, with Atlanta United likely to face Liga MX leaders Monterrey in the quarterfinals and the Red Bulls positioned to take on Santos Laguna if they can dispose of Dominican side Atletico Pantoja.

Making those challenges even more difficult for the MLS contingent is the reality that Mexican teams are seven matches into their new season while MLS teams are still in preseason, a handicap that MLS teams have always had to deal with in the CCL knockout rounds.

“I can see why MLS teams have had difficulty in this tournament, and that’s without even having kicked a ball yet,” Atlanta United captain Michael Parkhurst told Goal. “It’s a quick turnaround from MLS Cup. It’s a balance between getting fit versus not wanting to be too sore, too overworked like you usually are in preseason because the games come up very quick.

“Basically if you get any type of injury in preseason you’re going to miss games. Knowing our fitness needs to be tip top before the season even starts is a challenge as well, but we understand there’s pressure on us as MLS Cup champions to go out there and represent the league well.”

As difficult as the challenge will be for all five MLS teams competing in the CCL round of 16, which kicks off on Tuesday, there is a sense that the gap between MLS teams and Mexican teams has been closing. The Red Bulls firmly believe that, having eliminated Club Tijuana in last year’s quarterfinals before losing to eventual champions Chivas Guadalajara in a tightly contested semifinal series.

“The biggest takeaway from last year is that we have the confidence to compete with anybody,” Red Bulls midfielder Sean Davis told Goal. “We have some really important experiences under our belt. You can talk about the Tijuana series, and the Chivas series, where we more than held our own. We are confident about who we are as a team, and that we can compete with the top Mexican teams.”

“It’s a tournament that we take seriously, but as far as we got last year and as close as we were to making it to the finals, I think it makes it that much more special and real that we want to duplicate that,” Red Bulls defender Aaron Long told Goal. “I think that experience is going to help us in a big way.”

Sporting Kansas City is the lone MLS team set to face a Mexican opponent in the round of 16, and will be taking on struggling Toluca, which is winless in five straight matches. A win over Toluca could set up Sporting KC with a quarterfinal matchup against Toronto FC, a team that came close to winning CCL a year ago, but comes into this year’s competition as an underdog after enduring a nightmare 2018 MLS campaign and then losing star performer Sebastian Giovinco.

The Houston Dynamo are the biggest underdog of the five MLS teams in the competition, having qualified for the tournament by virtue of their U.S. Open Cup championship. The Dynamo failed to make the MLS playoffs in 2018, but do boast enough firepower to be favored over Guatemalan side C.D. Guastatoya in the round of 16. A potential quarterfinal against Mexican powerhouse Tigres would be another challenge altogether.

Like the Dynamo, the Red Bulls and TFC both face unfancied opponents in the round of 16. The Red Bulls meet Dominican side Atlético Pantoja while TFC takes on Panamanian side Independiente. Atlanta United has a tricky test against reigning Costa Rican champions Herediano, a club that should present a good challenge but one that also saw several top players leave after the team won the Costa Rican league in December.

If MLS is going to break the Liga MX stranglehold on the Concacaf Champions League, it will be up to Atlanta United or the Red Bulls, and potentially dark horse pick Sporting KC, to not only make a deep run, but also handle the pressure of a final that will have the hopes of an entire league riding on it.

“When we were watching Champions League in previous years, last year included, you’re rooting for the other MLS teams to do well,” Parkhurst said. “You want somebody to win that championship and go represent the league. Hopefully we’ve got the opportunity to make a good run and be that team this year.”

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The England international full-back has entered the final 18 months of his Reds contract and is currently taking in a loan spell at Bournemouth

Nathaniel Clyne is reluctant to speculate on his Liverpool future, with the defender currently on loan at Bournemouth having entered the final 18 months of his contract at Anfield.

The England international was acquired by the Reds from Southampton in the summer of 2015.

He has made more than 100 appearances for the club, but has slipped down the pecking order after suffering some untimely injuries.

With the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez now ahead of him on Merseyside, Clyne took the decision to link up with a Premier League rival in January.

He is enjoying his time with Bournemouth and is unsure as to whether fresh terms will be presented to him by Liverpool when his short-term stay with the Cherries comes to a close.

“I haven’t really spoken [to Jurgen Klopp] or thought about what’s going to happen at the end of the season,” Clyne told Sky Sports.

“I’m just concentrating on playing football right now and staying match fit, and improving. I am starting to get my rhythm back and that comes with playing matches – and it’s part of the reason I came here.”

While Clyne’s focus now lies away from Merseyside, he is keeping a close eye on the Premier League title race being run by his parent club and believes the crown remains Liverpool’s to lose.

He added, with the Reds having edged a point clear of defending champions Manchester City: “You can see right now in the dressing room they will just be enjoying the opportunity they have.

“They’re top of the league – it’s on them really. All they need to do is do their best in their games and that will lead them over the line.”

Next up for Liverpool is a home date with Watford on Wednesday, but Clyne’s attention will be focused elsewhere as Bournemouth prepare to take on top-four hopefuls Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.

“We’ve done really well against Arsenal and hopefully we can do the same again – but it’s not going to be easy going to the Emirates against a tough Arsenal side,” said the 27-year-old full-back.

“Everyone is going to have to be at the top of their game to get something. With any big team you have to be at 100 per cent. I always relish playing against the big teams and putting on big performances. It shows your character.”

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The Welshman has failed to learn Spanish in almost six years and is increasingly isolated within the Merengue dressing room

During his brief spell with Real Sociedad, former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland sharpshooter John Aldridge assured that he needed to learn just three words in Spanish in order to get by on the pitch. Once he had mastered the ubiquitous phrase hijo de puta (son of a bitch), Aldridge joked, he felt more than comfortable communicating with team-mates, referees and opponents alike.

Fast forward three decades and little seems to have changed for Brits abroad. The general consensus is that, after almost six years in Madrid, Gareth Bale still has severe difficulties in gelling with his multi-national dressing room companions.

Those issues, moreover, combined with a noticeable drop in performances on the pitch itself, now threaten to spell the end of the Welsh wizard’s time at the Bernabeu as he becomes ever more isolated.

According to those closest to Bale he rarely integrates with the rest of the squad away from games or training, preferring more solitary pursuits. “We call him The Golfer,” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois revealed in a recent interview with HLN .

“I would say he has so much talent, but that it is such a shame that so often that talent is blocked from shining. I live like somebody who is born and bred in Madrid. I eat late, I go bed late… it is their way of life.

“The other night we had a dinner with the entire squad. But Bale and (Toni) Kroos did not turn up. They reckoned the dinner was too late at night.

“We had arranged to be in the restaurant at 9.30pm and we started out the meal around 10.15pm and by midnight we were having coffee. We go to bed at around 1am. We have to train every morning at 11am. I think that is a perfect time.

“But Bale had told us ‘I am not coming to join you, guys. I go to bed at 11’.”

Marcelo too has let slip his frustration at trying to communicate with Bale, who has taken Kiko Casilla’s place at his side in the dressing room. “[Kiko] sat next to me and we used to talk all day, now I have nobody to talk to,” he confided to Esporte Interativo .

“Bale is now on that side but we have to speak in English, we communicate via gestures and with three words, hi, hello and goodbye.” A Madrid insider was even more scathing of the team’s shrinking violet after netting against Atletico: “He has less blood (passion) than an eel”.

On the pitch, meanwhile, Bale has lost his privileged position as an undisputed member of the Madrid starting line-up. The Welshman has not completed 90 minutes for his team since December’s Club World Cup final win over Al-Ain and has started just twice in their last seven outings, as Santiago Solari continues to place his faith in the raw, electric talents of Vinicius Junior.

Although he scored a hugely controversial penalty off the bench on Sunday to win the three points at Levante, reports in Spain suggest that Bale used up his final credit in an ineffective cameo in the shock home defeat to Girona on February 17.

It is the much-maligned Karim Benzema who has stepped up to score the goals once netted in such startling quantities by Cristiano Ronaldo, with Bale’s 20 Liga appearances this term yielding a disappointing seven strikes.

Benzema is the old head Madrid want around the Bernabeu to continue supporting youngsters like Vinicius and Marco Asensio. Even at 18 the former Flamengo man is showing an easygoing, extroverted personality that has made him an instant hit with the dressing room, even appearing in Ronaldo’s place alongside compatriots Casemiro and Marcelo in the travel photo the Blancos take as a matter of superstition prior to Champions League away games.

Bale has become expendable, meanwhile, and could well be used as a make-weight this summer to facilitate the transfer of Eden Hazard, Christian Eriksen or another of Madrid’s expensive targets. Despite his many achievements, it is likely that few at the Bernabeu would mourn his departure with any great vehemence.

British players over the years have proved themselves extremely awkward travellers. With a few notable exceptions – the likes of David Platt and Gary Lineker in a different generation, and young bucks such as Jadon Sancho in the current day – they have found it difficult to adapt to foreign climes, holding a sense of being out of place that often has adverse consequences on the field.

Bale has doubtlessly overcome those obstacles to become one of the cornerstones of Madrid’s last four Champions League victories, a stunning feat by any measure.

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But he has never been able to shed that feeling of failing to really belong to his adopted home, and truly integrating into an unfamiliar culture. And his current mood was clear to see on Sunday when he refused to celebrate his goal with Lucas Vazquez who had come over to embrace his team-mate.

With no Spanish to speak of, no friends and fewer and fewer minutes on the pitch, Bale’s reasons to stay at Madrid beyond the current season are fast fading away.