An unnamed Real Madrid player has stated teammate Gareth Bale “doesn’t defend because he doesn’t want to defend,” reports the Spanish publication Marca.
This season, rumors have swirled around the on-field relationship between Bale and star man Cristiano Ronaldo. The two forwards have apparently had a difference in opinion regarding Bale’s failure to pass to his Portuguese teammate during certain games.
The Welshman has never really been fully embraced by the club’s supporters since arriving from Tottenham in the summer of 2013, and this season his work ethic has been heavily-criticized by the media and fans. Apparently that opinion is shared by some players in the Real Madrid dressing room.
Earlier today, Marca quoted an unnamed source from within the squad who voiced his opinion on Ronaldo and Bale, with the Welshman being singled-out for his defensive shortcomings.
“There’s only one Cristiano,” the anonymous Real Madrid player said. “Bale is a great player, but he doesn’t win you matches on his own.
“He doesn’t defend because he doesn’t want to.”
Marca went on to speculate that Bale has had little interest in adapting to the culture at Real Madrid, with the Welshman choosing to focus on playing golf rather than spending time getting to know his teammates. Something which has further fueled the “selfish” label which has been slapped on the forward by the Spanish press.
Marca also called Bale “the chosen one” and said he is untouchable in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad because the forward’s signing was engineered by club president Florentino Perez, who has been rumored to hold a heavy influence on match day decisions.
It appears the Spanish newspaper has broken its long-rumored relationship with Perez and has declared open season on the club.
Yesterday, the Real Madrid president addressed the media to discredit rumors being spread by Marca, before condemning the media in general for trying to create an “atmosphere of negativity” and having an “agenda” against Real Madrid.
Perez elected to hold the impromptu 35-minute press conference after a report from the publication claimed manager Carlo Ancelotti would be sacked if his team produced another “debacle” in El Clasico against Barcelona on March 22nd.
The Real Madrid president blasted the story and backed Ancelotti to remain at the club for the remainder of the season. He would later go on to say: “Much of the media is Madridista, but not all of it;” and “Some of the media’s raison d’etre is to have a go at me.”
He would add: “They’re not going against Madrid, they’re going against me.”
Programming note: Real Madrid vs. Levante will be shown LIVE on Sunday starting at 4:00pm EST on beIN SPORTS and DishWorld.
