Gareth Bale has been the subject of some very strong criticism from the Spanish media. The Wales international has been restricted to the bench for the majority of the season, and his high paying contract is one of the reasons behind the comments.
Journalist Manuel Julia Dorado of Marca has described the player as a parasite, draining Real Madrid of their money while not contributing anything to the team.
Gareth Bale hits back at Marca journalist
In response to the hurtful comments from Dorado, Gareth Bale took to Twitter to voice his opinion. Here is what the winger had to say about the entire issue:
‘The Daily Mail shining a light on this piece of slanderous, derogatory and speculative journalism by Marca.
‘At a time where people are taking their own lives because of the callousness and relentlessness of the media, I want to know, who is holding these journalists and the news outlets that allow them to write articles like this, accountable?
‘Fortunately I have developed a thick skin during my time in the public spotlight, but that doesn’t mean articles like these don’t cause damage and upset personally and professionally to those at the receiving end of these malicious stories.
‘I have witnessed the toll the media can take on peoples (sic) mental and physical health. The media expect superhuman performances from professional athletes, and will be the first to celebrate with them when they deliver, yet instead of commiserating with them when they show an ounce of human error, they are torn to shreds instead, encouraging anger and disappointment in their fans.
‘The everyday pressures on athletes is immense, and it’s as clear as day, how negative media attention could easily send an already stressed athlete, or anybody in the public eye, over the edge.
‘I hope that by the time our children are of an age where they are able to ingest news, that journalism ethics and standards will have been enforced more stringently.
‘So I want to use my platform to encourage change in the way we publicly talk about, and criticise people, simply for the most part, not meeting the often unrealistic expectations that are projected onto them.
Despite being on the bench, for the most part, this season, the player was called up to the Wales squad for the World Cup qualifiers as well. He was criticised for a remarkable performance against Austria in their qualifying semifinal. The player scored two important goals, leading Wales to the final.
‘We all know who the real Parasite is!’
Gareth Bale fired back at the Marca journalist for saying he can be a phenomenon when he wants to be as well.
