The Welshman has fired back at Marca
Gareth Bale has fired back at Spanish outlet
Marca after they called him a 'parasite' prior to Wales' World Cup qualifier on Thursday night.
Spanish newspaper
Marca launched a sensational attack on the Real Madrid man, describing him as a 'Welsh parasite' and accusing him of 'sucking Real Madrid's euros.'
Bale has been the victim of heavy criticism during his time in Spain - despite winning 14 trophies with Madrid - and is expected to leave on a free transfer in the summer.
Marca's article also featured an image of Bale drawn as a mosquito to showcase their displeasure at the winger, who has played just 69 minutes of football in total since August.
Bale scored both goals, including a sensational first-half free-kick, as Wales beat Austria to set up a World Cup play-off final against either Ukraine or Scotland in June.
https://twitter.com/FootballJOE/status/1507310178105901056
After the game, he was asked if he was sending a message to the journalists in question, however, Bale played down the 'message' and said that he tries to ignore the comments.
Now, the Welshman has issues a statement on Twitter in response to the aforementioned article.
https://twitter.com/GarethBale11/status/1507382269899649028
He said: "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 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.
"We all know who the real Parasite is!"
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