Welsh skipper Gareth Bale has claimed that the Daily Mail is the ‘real parasite’ for shining light on a derogatory publication by the Marca.
There have been claims that the Spanish media have used the term ‘parasite’ to describe the attitude of the Madrid legend at the club for some years now.
Gareth Bale has started in only four games this season for the Los Blancos and has come under some terrible criticism from the media in Spain. Bale has been a star in the team during their European winnings years, where he scored in all 3 of the Champions League Finals to win the biggest European Club trophy.
The Real Madrid star in his closing part of his statement wrote: “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 protected onto them. We all know who the real Parasite is!”
The 32 year old who score two goals for the Wales National Team yesterday to has secured a final play-off game against Ukraine or Scotland added that: “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 am already stressed athlete, or anybody in the public eye, over the edge”.
In a post on his Twitter, Bale spoke out against the damaging role main stream media can have on people’s mental health and especially on athletes. Even though he has developed thick skin that does not make him insensitive to negative publicity, the football star questions who holds the media accountable.
“The Daily Mail shining a light on this piece of slanderous, derogatory and speculative journalism by Marca. At a time where people taking their own lives because of the callousness and relentless of the media, I want to know, whoe 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 lie these don’t cause damage and upset personally and professionally to those at the receiving end of these malicious stories”.
