Gareth Bale has issued an explosive statement on social media in response to an article published by a Spanish media outlet in which he was labelled a "parasite".
The 32-year-old missed Real Madrid's 4-0 El Clasico defeat to Barcelona on Sunday night but linked up with Wales for their World Cup play-off semi-final clash with Austria on Thursday night. Bale played a starring role in the contest at Cardiff City Stadium, scoring in each half as Rob Page's men won 2-1 to progress into the play-off final.
Ahead of the international break, several Spanish media companies vented their frustrations over Bale availability for his country after he had made just two appearances for his club between November and March. Marca went a step further and branded the Welsh captain a "parasite", even going as far as to mock up an image of the Cardiff-born ace as an insect sucking blood from the Real Madrid team emblem.
