Gareth Bale arrived at Real Madrid training on Thursday and was told by supporters to "go play golf" in yet another confrontation with fans.
Wales skipper Bale is used to hostile receptions from the Los Blancos faithful, whether that be at the club's training ground or on the pitch for the Spanish giants. His relationship with fans and the Spanish press has reached boiling point many times over the years, with a new low reached over the past three months when a columnist in Madrid labelled him "a parasite".
With his contract expiring in the Spanish capital - and a move back to hometown club Cardiff City heavily mooted - we have reached the end credits of his time with the Champions League finalists.
READ MORE: The appalling treatment of Gareth Bale amid vile abuse, car damage and vicious attacks
And it would appear he isn't being sent away with warm wishes. A small group of supporters shouted "go play golf" as he arrived at training on Thursday, just after he was named in Rob Page's Wales squad for the upcoming World Cup play-off match against either Scotland or Ukraine next month. It's not the first time he's been targeted at their training base, either.
Bale has frequently been chastised for his love of golf, with the infamous "Wales, Golf, Madrid" flag unveiled at a Wales game in 2020 used as a stick to constantly beat him with.
Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti revealed that he would be in the squad to face Real Betis tomorrow night, in what would be Bale's final appearance at the Bernabeu. "Bale is in the squad and we'll see if he can be on the bench or not," the Italian manager said.
The last time the 32-year-old featured at the stadium, he was roundly booed and whistled by home supporters.
Jonathan Barnett, Bale's agent, told WalesOnline in an exclusive interview this week that his client's next move will be down to footballing reasons and won't be based on finances. He added that Cardiff had "a lot of plusses", but stressed his future would be determined by Wales' play-off fate.
"Finance will not come into this," he said. "He's already extremely wealthy. Gareth is probably the richest footballer Britain has produced. In any case, no club on earth would be able to pay what he's on at the moment. Gareth realises that. Money is not important to him.
"It will be down to where he wants to play, a personal choice - but only after the Wales games are out of the way."
Asked specifically if Cardiff was a credible option for Bale, Barnett replied: "Who knows? We'll look and see in due course. But I repeat there are no options on the table at the moment.
"Cardiff has a lot of plusses. He's from Wales, his family are from there. From a personal point of view it could appeal. But I emphasise this is me talking, my views, not Gareth's. I have not discussed it with him."
