Spanish media go easy on Gareth Bale for once, Italian press stick the boot in

Next rest for the wickedly expensive.

Gareth Bale huffed, puffed and missed several gilt-edged chances for Real Madrid, last night, as they were eliminated from the Champions League by Juventus. Los Blancos could only muster a 1-1 draw, which saw them eliminated 3-2 on aggregate. Juve will now meet Barcelona in the final while Real will lick their wounds and, no doubt, spend big again in the summer. Bale had seven pops at goal but only once found the target. He put in an industrious effort and was at the centre of a lot of Real's best moves. That didn't please sections of Madrid's support who shouted 'Bale cabron' and 'hijo de puta' at the Welshman. Our Spanish is a little ropey but even we can tell that they're not affectionate terms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrATzlBFz-c Following comments from Bale's agent that he is never passed to by his Real teammates, this statistic proves he was a key figure as Los Blancos tried to reach another European Cup final. He received 66 passes, ahead of James Rodriguez [64] and Toni Kroos [54]. Cristiano Ronaldo was well down the list.

UEFA's pass distribution sheet for Jon Barnett to study. Bale received ball once from Ronaldo, gave 3 passes back: pic.twitter.com/g4nwQzEoIW

— Covering futbol (@coveringfutbol) May 13, 2015

The ratings came out, soon after the final whistle and Marca went easy on the Welshman:

Marca player ratings, Bale not bad. pic.twitter.com/K4E3Z6mMEw — Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) May 14, 2015

Over in Italy, Tuttosport and Gazzetta Italia were not so kind. Both awarded Bale a 5/10 mark. Gazzetta listed Bale as Il Peggiore [the worst] while Iker Casillas - he of the dodgy throw-ins - was declared Real's best player.

Real Madrid-Juventus ratings. Buffon, Vidal & Allegri with the highest ratings. [Gazzetta, Tuttosport] #RealJuve pic.twitter.com/YKcvjm4CHU

— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) May 14, 2015

In term of sheer numbers, however, Bale is not having the worst of seasons. These stats flooded social media last night and put Bale's so-called plight in perspective.

Gareth Bale having a bad season: 28 games: 13 goals, 8 assists. Hazard having the best season of his career: 35 games: 14 goals, 8 assists. — Abdollah (@meel_Induwa) May 14, 2015

The spotlight is glaring when you get signed for €91 million.