‘We all know who the parasite is’ – Gareth Bale slams Spanish press again as Wales hero hits out at ‘malicious’ attacks
GARETH BALE slammed Spanish media TWICE in 24 hours, blasting: “We all know who the real parasite is!”
The Real Madrid star delivered a powerful warning that “malicious” attacks can damage athletes’ mental health and “send them over the edge”.
Bale has a bitter relationship with some of the LaLiga media.
Sports daily Marca mocked him up as an insect sucking blood from the club badge, branding him a parasite.
Bale was also a target for fierce criticism after missing Sunday’s 4-0 thrashing by Barcelona with a niggle.
He responded with two wonder goals as Wales beat Austria 2-1 in the World Cup play-off — and celebrated by mouthing ‘suck that’ in response to the trolls.
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Bale, 32, labelled his critics “disgraceful” in a post-match interview, adding they “should be ashamed of themselves”.
Then he took to social media to blast Marca’s “slanderous and derogatory” attack.
He wrote: “I have developed a thick skin, but that doesn’t mean articles like these don’t cause upset to those at the receiving end of these malicious stories.
“I have witnessed the toll they can take on people’s mental and physical health.”
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F1 star Lewis Hamilton has previously praised tennis ace Naomi Osaka for pulling out of last year’s French Open for the sake of her wellbeing.
And Bale added: “Everyday pressure on athletes is immense. Negative attention could easily send an already stressed athlete over the edge.
“So I want to use my platform to encourage change in the way we publicly talk about people.”
