Real Madrid players stand with Bale & believe in his value on the pitch (Marca)

It can't be said that Gareth Bale is amongst the most popular members of the Real Madrid dressing room, and despite the fact the Welshman has always been distant with his teammates, they have voted in favour of him in the wake of recent controversy surrounding his trip to London.

The players, especially the English-speaking ones, have been his main supporters within the group, and it's not as if Bale has been deliberately cold to those he shares a shirt with, but the language barrier has been hugely problematic since his first day with the club.

Luka Modric was a teammate of his at both Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid and has always been the player closest to him, they have had a very cordial relationship, something other members of the team can't claim to.

On more than one occasions some of Bale's behaviour has been commented on by his peers, especially with regards to his involvement in team activities, but to a man, every single Real Madrid player wants the former Spurs winger in the team at this moment.

He has a tremendous footballing upside, he can win matches on his own when he's fit and motivated, and has earned a great deal of respect for his work with Los Merengues in the past.

It's worth remembering that the Welsh captain has been part of teams in Madrid that have won many finals, including four Champions League finals, in which he scored key goals.

The numbers since he arrived in Spain show him to be one of the best players in the world, when fit, and his teammates are acutely aware of this.

It's this ability which allows Bale to be aloof and distant with teammates, he can win them matches at key points of the season and has done for years.

Real Madrid's hierarchy haven't changed their stance on the 30-year-old since the summer, despite renewed calls to allow the player to leave after his trip to London two days before a clash with Leganes.

The club don't intend to give him away for free, something which put paid to a summer move to China, and nor are they willing to sell him to a European rival in the winter transfer market.

He was on the market last summer, everyone knows this to be true, but Bale has a monetary value and Los Blancos believe he is a very valuable player in every sense of the word, as he has shown at the beginning of the current campaign when new signing, Eden Hazard, was struggling to find both his form and fitness.