Bale missed almost three months with an ankle injury he suffered in November against Sporting Lisbon and has spent the last six weeks recovering from two separate calf problems. He said he was not yet fully recovered and appeared resigned to not starting what should have been a dream final. "I'm not 100 percent," Bale told reporters on Tuesday. "Obviously, any surgery is difficult, but in the middle of a season it's always that bit more difficult. It is right there, almost at 100 percent, but whatever the manager requires of me I will be there to do it."

Source: The Star May 30, 2017 15:56 UTC