Gareth Bale named 'worst performer' by Spanish press on Clasico debut after Real Madrid's defeat by Barcelona The world's most expensive player, whose start to life at the Bernabeu has stuttered following a string of injuries, was replaced after 61 minutes on his Clasico debut having failed to make a telling impact in the Real attack. In contrast, Barcelona's Neymar opened the scoring in his first match against Real Madrid and was instrumental throughout a heated contest. Barcelona's sports daily El Mundo dismissed the Welshman as "irrelevant," while the Madrid-based El Pais went further, claiming that Real "continue to play better when their star signing is not on the pitch" and criticising Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti for persevering with the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder: "The coach broke up the team to put Bale at centre forward!" Writing in Madrid-leaning sports daily Marca, Ruben Jimenez made it clear that patience is already wearing thin with Bale, blaming the club, the player and his national side for his failure to instantly justify his £86m price tag. "Real Madrid's worst performer at the Nou Camp was Gareth Bale," Jimenez wrote. The Welshman was not match ready, does not have enough spark and a series of mistakes made by Real Madrid, the Welsh national team and the player himself hang heavily around his neck, hindering his progress. The article points to Bale's decision to join up with the Wales squad while injured rather than take advantage of the international break had contributed to his poor form, and even suggests that his "personal revolt," when he refused to train with the Tottenham squad while his world-record transfer was being finalised, has played its part. "Bale is feeling the pressure and has yet to play a full 90 minutes during his first two months at the Spanish giants," notes Jimenez. Cristiano Ronaldo was left fuming after being denied a penalty with Madrid trailing 1-0 in the second half. Television channel Canal+ claimed the forward called the referee and his linesman cagons de mierda ("f****** bottlers") when Sanchez doubled Barcelona's lead shortly after his appeal was turned down and was booked for dissent. "It was a penalty and the referee was close enough to give it," Ancelotti said. Edited by Michael Beattie