Bale arrives late for training due to traffic havoc

The forward didn't give himself more time to get to Valdebebas with a taxi strike and the Fitur trade fair at IFEMA causing delays. He arrived at 10:55...

There was one absentee at the start of this monring's training session in Valdebebas. During the 15 minutes allocated to the media before matchdays, Gareth Bale was nowhere to be seen. The Welsh forward arrived at the training ground at 10:55 hours - five minutes before the session was due to get underway. The standard procedure is for players to arrive half an hour the session starts, with Madrid generally beginning their workouts at 11am.

Traffic at a standstill in Madrid

Unlike his team mates, Bale was unaware of the heavy delays on the roads coming in and out of Madrid this morning. It's the first day of the Fitur tourism trade fair at IFEMA and there is an increased police presence as Spanish monarchs Felipe VI and Letizia will be attending the inauguration. Not helping the situation, Madrid's taxi drivers have called a strike and are blocking the area close to IFEMA.