Gareth Bale laughs off jeers from angry Real Madrid fans as Welshman is WHISTLED

Real Madrid's Gareth Bale made his first appearance at the Bernabeu in over two years and was welcomed by whistles from the home crowd, but Carlo Ancelotti believes that the fans' fury is 'understandable'.

Due to the Covid pandemic and the reconstruction of the stadium, Bale last played at the Bernabeu in February 2020, in a Champions League Round of 16 tie against Manchester City.

But he came off the bench during Saturday's 2-0 win over Getafe to replace Karim Benzema and he was welcomed by whistles from his own supporters.

Bale seemed unsurprised as he was all smiles during the victory, which took Real a step closer to clinching the Laliga title.

Ancelotti, however, believes the whistles were 'understandable' but praised Bale's professionalism.

He said: 'I think that our fans are very important. They were against PSG [In the round of 16] and now we have them, that push, on Tuesday.

'The whistle on Bale is understandable but he is doing well now. He is a serious professional.'

The Welshman's nine-year spell at Real Madrid looks to be ending on a sour note with the 32-year-old set to depart on a free transfer this summer having played just seven matches in all competitions this term.

Last month, his lack of action for the club led to anger from Spanish publications after seeing Bale sitting in the dugout for long spells.

Marca launched an astonishing attack on the former Tottenham star, calling him a 'parasite' who had been 'sucking Real Madrid's euros'.

Bale - who has played more than 250 games for the club and won 14 trophies during that time - furiously hit back in a lengthy statement on social media, writing: 'We all know who the real parasites are.'

His agent, Jonathan Barnett, then came to his defence after a tense few years in the Spanish capital where his client has come under fire for failing to learn the language fluently and infamously holding up a banner that read: 'Wales, Golf, Madrid - in that order'.

In an interview with Spanish outlet Deportes Cuatro, Barnett said: 'He speaks Spanish. What happens is that people who do not know him say that he does not. Stupid and ignorant people who have not spoken to him. It's a shame.

'He has always been very happy in Madrid, he arrived as a young man, his children were born in the city, he has donated a lot of money to Spanish hospitals for Covid (a reported £400k) and he loves the city and the club, and I think the parasites are the ones who speak ill of him.'