Spanish newspaper Marca have launched a blistering attack on and have branded the Wales superstar ‘a parasite’ and accused him of ‘sucking’ the club’s money.
The 32-year-old joined the Spanish giants back in the summer of 2013 for a then world record transfer fee but his stock has diminished in recent years and his own fans have long since turned on a player they once idolised.
Bale has made just five appearances in all competitions this season and has effectively been deemed surplus to requirements by Carlo Ancelotti, the manager who brought the former Tottenham winger to the Bernabeu nearly nine years ago.
Real have enjoyed a largely successful campaign under the Italian, leading the race for the Spanish title and set for a quarter final against holders .
Last weekend’s 4-0 defeat against arch rivals Barcelona, however, exposed some of the glaring weaknesses in Ancelotti’s squad but it was Bale, who didn’t even take part in El Clasico, who was singled out for criticism by Marca in an astonishing attack.
Journalist Manuel Julia Dorado, in an article accompanied with an image of Bale mocked up as a mosquito, wrote: ‘He settled in Spain, at Real Madrid, where, masked, he first showed diligence and love for the guest, but then his nature led him to suck blood without giving anything in return.
‘Well, more than blood, he sucked, and sucks, the club’s euros.
‘Unlike others of its kind, such as the flea, the louse or the bedbug, the Bale parasite does not cause itching or illnesses in its host, but after sucking, it laughs and makes fun of it, showing a jocular contempt for the one from whom he lives.
‘He laughs, applauds, throws himself on the ground, sings, as a kind of humiliating ceremony, which, luckily, has an expiration date, like all misfortunes.’
In response, Bale, who is preparing to help Wales qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958, insists he has little difficulty in ignoring the latest torrent of criticism and is fully focused on the task in hand with his national team.
‘I don’t listen to any of them, it’s a waste of time,’ he told Sky Sports. ‘It doesn’t affect you, not when you don’t read it, so it doesn’t matter what they write. I could say something but it’s better not to.’
Marca’s grievance over Bale not playing for Madrid against Barcelona but then training with Wales just days later raised eyebrows. The player himself and national team boss Rob Page refused to clarify exactly why he had missed the derby.
But when invited to clear up the situation, Bale said:Â ‘I don’t need to clarify that because I don’t need to tell anyone what was up. I don’t need to give anyone anything to use against me. Everything is fine now, I have no issue.’
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