Carlo Ancelotti: Gareth Bale went behind my back to complain to Real Madrid president

Writing in his book 'Quiet leadership: WInning Hearts, Minds and Matches' the new Bayern Munich boss reveals that the Welshman's agent went behind his back to complain to president Florentino Perez during the 2014-15 season.

The relationship between player and manager deteriorated throughout the campaign as the 26-year-old failed to hit the heights of his debut season in La Liga, when he scored crucial goals in the finals of the Champions League and Copa del Rey.

"One morning in March I received a phone call from the Madrid general director saying that the president wanted to speak with me at the end of training that day. This was very unusual. When I visited the president, he told me that Bale's agent had been to his office to speak about the 'Bale situation'," Ancelotti writes in his book 'Quiet Leadership: Winning Hearts, Minds and Matches'.

"In January, Bale's agent had been saying things and perhaps felt his position was strong because he had already spoken with the president. Now he was telling the president that Bale was unhappy in his position. He wanted to play more centrally.

"Bale had fantastic world-class qualities and all that I was trying to do was help him understand his core strengths so he could fulfil his potential and by the way, that I was more qualified than his agent or the president to help him with that.

"I told the president that I would speak with Bale myself the next day, which I did after training. I told him 'I know that your agent spoke to the president. Why didn't you come to speak with me about what you want?'. He said 'Yes, OK, no problem.'"