A Spanish journalist claims Gareth Bale "lacked empathy" following the Wales legend's retirement from football.
On Monday, the 33-year-old confirmed he had hung up his boots little more than a month after leading Wales into what was their first World Cup campaign in 64 years.
His former team-mates, past managers and fans have all paid tribute to the 111-cap Wales star since the shock announcement.
However, Alfredo Relaño, who writes for Spanish media outlet AS, aimed several digs at the Welshman in his latest column on Bale's career.
The segment, titled 'Gareth Bale, pity the player...', claims that football was not Bale's favourite sport while the journalist also says the Cardiff-born forward "lacked empathy".
Despite Bale's success with Real Madrid, the Spanish media had something of a love-hate relationship with the Welshman, particularly during the latter stages of his nine-year career at the Santiago Bernabéu.
In March 2022, Marca described the frontman as a "parasite" and mocked up an image of the Wales ace as an insect sucking blood from the Real Madrid team emblem.
And in his column on Bale's retirement, Relaño even took a thinly veiled swipe at the player's agent Jonathan Barnett.
"As for Bale... he wanted to be free verse in the attack and his agent was always messing with that," it read.
"They only granted it to him in Wales, football is not his favourite sport, his fibres were delicate and all of this together led him to a grumpy uselessness.
"From his stay in Madrid some extraordinary goals can be rescued in games that were also extraordinary. Let's stay with that.
"The rest is up to him. And it's a shame, because he had exceptional natural conditions for height, speed and his left leg. But he lacked empathy, and he said it well in that unsympathetic (flag) 'Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that Order.'"
Bale won five Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, one Spanish Super Cup, three Super Cups and three Club World Cups during his time with Real Madrid.
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