Bale could find Madrid tough, warns Pique

Gareth Bale may find it tough to adapt to the demands of being a Real Madrid player in his first weeks in the Spanish capital.

That is the opinion of Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, who has warned the Welshman that it will take time for him to settle in the Bernabeu’s star-studded dressing room.

Bale ended one of the close-season’s most protracted transfer sagas by signing for the Liga giants from Tottenham for a reported world-record fee on September 1.

The 24-year-old is expected to make his debut for Real in their league fixture with Villarreal on Saturday, but Pique believes he could find it tough to establish his place in the hierarchy of stellar names available to manager Carlo Ancelotti.

“You never know how he will adapt to a dressing room like Madrid’s with a lot of stars like Cristiano (Ronaldo) and (Karim) Benzema,” the Spain international told Sky Sports.

“I hope he can play well, but we will see. The first month will be more difficult, then it will be a bit more relaxed.”

Pique also believes that Bale – who returned to action after a foot injury as a substitute in Wales’ FIFA World Cup qualifying defeat to Serbia on Tuesday – will endure a level of scrutiny and pressure he did not experience during his time at White Hart Lane.

“Real Madrid is such an immense team – a big, big club. Everyone wants to know something about the players, about Bale too,” the former Manchester United man added.

“When you’re playing for a great team like Madrid, with a lot of pressure because you have to win every game, it’s a difficult life.”