Gareth Bale has been given a terse send-off by Real Madrid after the winger completed a season-long loan move to Tottenham on Saturday.
The Spanish club released a statement comprising just 44 words to confirm Bale's departure, and while he may well return to Madrid next summer, it seems the Welshman's relationship with his parent club is beyond repair.
Bale won 13 trophies in seven years after arriving at the Bernabeu from Tottenham in 2013, meaning Madrid sacrificed just 3.38 words in their statement for each trophy.
The statement read: 'Real Madrid C. F. and Tottenham Hotspur FC have agreed to the loan of Gareth Bale for next season, until 30 June, 2021.
'Our club wishes the best of luck to a player who is part of one of the most successful periods of our history.'
The 31-year-old scored 105 goals in 251 appearances for Los Blancos, including a memorable brace in the 2018 Champions League final victory over Liverpool.
However, the forward endured lengthy spells on the sidelines due to his fractious relationship with manager Zinedine Zidane, and was represented as a disruptive member of the squad following a Wales victory when he held a flag with the message: 'Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order'.
Tottenham have expressed their delight after re-signing the player who scored 56 goals in 203 games during his first spell at the club, but revealed a knee injury was detected during his medical.
Fans will therefore have to wait until after the October international break to see Bale, who has signed a £200,000-a-week deal, make his second Spurs debut.
He said: 'It's nice to be back, where I made my name. I always thought about returning. I'm hungry, I'm motivated I can't wait to get strated. I want to get some match fitness and hopefully help the team win trophies.
'Hopefully I can bring a bit more belief back to the dressing room and that winning mentality. I want to get us to the next level and that's win trophies. To do it at Tottenham now would be a dream come true.'
ishti
512
What an absurd comparison. Sometimes a heartfelt Thank you is more than enough. So counting words in a statement is beyond logic.