Bale slams Spanish press and defends Hazard

Gareth Bale may have been away from the Spanish capital of Madrid for the past season, but he certainly doesn't seem to be missing some elements of life in Spain.

In an interview, he opened up on the challenges he faced as a Real Madrid player, blaming the press for treating him unfairly.

"If I wanted to go out with friends or family, I'm going to end up with 20, 30 people around me and not being able to move. So you've got to find your spots in Madrid where you're not hassled very much," he told The Times.

"It's difficult to do. But it's something you have to learn quickly, otherwise it does get on top of you."

Bale also explained that he felt that he wasn't glamorous for some.

"It probably came across to them in a way they didn't like," he said. "And I know for sure that the media in Spain were not very happy with that. But I'm not going to change for anyone.

"I'm not going to let the media change my life or what I do. I know I probably got a bit more stick because of that. And I accepted that."

The Welshman also addressed the speculation on his level of Spanish.

"I speak well enough to get by and I understand everything that's going on," Bale insisted.

"[The reason the press spoke about it] was because I didn't speak to them. And I didn't speak to them in Spanish. So they obviously create this big drama, this big soap opera that I can't do this and I can't do that."

He also spoke up in defence of Eden Hazard, who has faced similar criticism.

"I've seen it," Bale said. "It was literally as if he'd just murdered everybody. It's a game of football at the end of the day."

Bale's loan spell with Tottenham Hotspur is coming to an end, with the forward insisting that he wishes to return to Real Madrid.