GARETH BALE is reportedly baffled by golf criticism and has insisted doctors agree that teeing off helps his scintillating form on the pitch.
Bale, dubbed the “Golfer” by his Bernabeu team-mates, has received flak in the past for hitting the green when he could have been resting.
Gareth Bale holds a flag with the slogan: ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid. In That Order’
Gareth Bale is a golf nut and is planning a £700,000 round-the-world trip to the world’s best courses with pals when he retires
The Real Madrid star, 30, has made no secret of his love of playing 18 holes and is said to be raring to complete his golf course bucket list with pals when the coronavirus crisis is over.
The Los Blancos ace reckons his golf antics actually help him on the pitch and is puzzled as to why some people give him stick for it.
The 30-year-old told the Erik Anders Lang podcast: “A lot of people have problems with me playing golf, I don’t know what the reason is,
“I’ve spoken to doctors and everybody’s fine with it.
“The media have this perception that it’s not good for me. ‘You should be resting, it can cause problems, injuries.’
“In America, I know Steph Curry plays maybe on the morning of a game. Here, if I play two days before a game it’s like ‘what’s he doing?'”
Bale has come under increasing scrutiny this season amid reports he is set to leave the Bernabeu this summer.
The Welshman’s current £650,000-a-week deal does not come to an end until 2022 and Zidane was desperate to flog the star in 2019, but a £1m-a-week move to Jiangsu Suning fell through late in the day.
The 30-year-old was subsequently re-integrated into the first-team but the injury-prone superstar has struggled to make much of an impact – scoring just three goals and assisting a further two in 18 appearances this term.
The marksman was whistled by Los Blancos supporters when he celebrated next to a banner with the words, “Wales, Golf, Madrid. In that order” after helping his country qualify for Euro 2020.
He said: “I just like going out to play, thinking I’ve got 18 holes ahead of me,
“You can get away from the football, away from anything negative that’s going on, and reset your mind, and the next day you feel a bit more fresh and ready to go and concentrate and feel better about football again.”
According to the recent reports, Bale was offered to an MLS side in the Eastern Conference but his staggering wage packet proved to be a stumbling block.
This comes less than a month after the Real ace spoke highly of the United States’ top-flight.
He told the Hat Trick Podcast: “I like it. It’s a league on the rise and continues to grow.
“I would definitely be interested.”
Newcastle, soon to have mega-millions if the Saudi takeover goes ahead, also have been linked.
Brazil legend Rivaldo believes Bale still has plenty left in the tank and can lead the Magpies’ rise up the table.
But the Wales star has been determined to stick it out in the Spanish capital and in January his agent claimed that he will see out his contract.
Despite doubts over Bale and several other players’ futures, Zizou is recently reassured them when they returned to training last week.
He told the aces: “I’m going to need you all” as they still harbour hopes of completing the double.
Bale recreates iconic Champions League final goal in living room as Real Madrid star attempts ‘2.6 Challenge’ for NHS
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
