Zinedine Zidane criticised for benching Gareth Bale for Champions League final

Zinedine Zidane, we should point out, knows a thing or two about winning a Champions League final.

Real Madrid manager for two and a bit years, he has finished each season in charge of the club by winning a European Cup. Should they beat Liverpool in Kiev tonight, he'll do it for a third time. Not bad going really. Despite this, plenty felt he'd made a significant error in his team selection for the big game by deciding not to start Gareth Bale. The Welshman has struggled to hold down a place in Real's team this year, but a strong finish was enough to convince many - including MARCA - that he'd be starting in Kiev. It was not to be. When Real's team news was published, it revealed that Bale started on the bench, Zidane favouring Karim Benzema as a starter. https://twitter.com/realmadriden/status/1000429539103735808 The decision came as a surprise to many... https://twitter.com/scaryowa/status/1000433580600889344 https://twitter.com/ydeencole/status/1000436317656899584 https://twitter.com/JakeBeanieSmith/status/1000430695385391104 https://twitter.com/Mehadi_Kalam/status/1000436944952754176 https://twitter.com/3ptperfection/status/1000430324713635841 https://twitter.com/dannybeach_10/status/1000436824580468736 If Real do defeat Liverpool, it will be their 13th title and fourth in their last five seasons.