Bale winds up Spanish press with golf swing pose in Real Madrid team photo

Gareth Bale has been pictured practising his golf swing while his Real Madrid team-mates posed for a squad photo at training this week.

Bale has previously been criticised in Spain for prioritising international football and even a round of golf over his club duties at Real Madrid.

The picture, which is doing the rounds on social media, has sparked up debate within the Spanish press over his commitment to Real Madrid once again.

Bale's previous decision to pose with a controversial banner while on international duty with Wales infuriated those associated with Real Madrid and the Spanish press.

Following a Euro 2020 qualifier last November, he celebrated a victory with his team-mates by showing a national flag plus the words 'Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order.'

At the time fans felt that Bale showed 'a lack of respect for the club and fans,' according to MARCA.

Though that hasn't stopped Bale as he appeared in a playful mood while training in Madrid this week. He was pictured standing away from his team-mates, replicating his golf swing, as others huddled together for a photo.

El Confidential said the pose 'mocked journalists' who 'associate his golf practice with injuries and disinterest in playing football'.

Bale’s love of golf is clear as he has replicas of three of golf's most iconic holes built at his home in Wales.

Those being the 17th at TPC Sawgrass, with its famous island green, Augusta National's 12th, the most celebrated hole at the home of the Masters, and Royal Troon's Postage Stamp, regarded by many as the best par-3 on the Open Championship rota.

Bale defended his love of golf during an interview with PGA Tour host Erik Anders Lang last week, saying: ‘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?"'

He insists that golf can actually improve his performance on the football pitch.

‘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,’ he said.

Bale has had an up and down career at the Bernabeu after joining Madrid from Tottenham in 2013 for £86million.

He has won the Champions League four times, including in 2018 when he came off the bench to put in a two-goal match-winning performance over Liverpool.

But injuries have also prevented him from cementing his place in Zinedine Zidane's first team.