LONDON, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Real Madrid's Welsh forward Gareth Bale said he is not "playing happy" at the club and predicts there may be further troubled times ahead for him.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Bale, who has a contract at Real Madrid until 2022, said that although he had survived at the club after a summer in which coach Zinedine Zidane said it would be "better for both parties" if he moved, he still felt unsettled at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Zidane dropped Bale towards the end of last season and then ostracized him over the summer in what looked like a clear effort to force him out of the club.
"I understand I was made more of a scapegoat than most, I take it with a pinch of salt even though maybe it's not all fully fair," said Bale.
"Towards the end of last season was difficult, there is no denying that, not just for me but for the team," he admitted.
After a summer on the sidelines, Bale was then chosen to start Madrid's first La Liga match away to Celta Vigo and produced a good display, setting up Karim Benzema for the first goal in a 3-1 win, and he followed that up with both goals in the 2-2 draw at Villarreal last Sunday.
However, despite forcing his way back into the side, Bale admitted things could be better at the club.
"I wouldn't say I'm playing happy, but I'm playing, when I am playing I am professional and I am always giving all I can, whether that be for club or country," he said.
And with three years still left on his contract, the 30-year-old expects speculation surrounding his future to continue.
"I'm sure there'll be plenty more turbulence, to be honest. I suppose it is something you will have to speak to Real Madrid about and it's between me and them, and we will have to come to some sort of conclusion," he said.