Gareth Bale Explains Why He Did Not Speak Spanish Through His Real Madrid Career

• Gareth Bale recently opened up about his Real Madrid career
• The Real Madrid man was regularly picked on by the media for not speaking Spanish
• The Welsh forward has since responded to the media critics in his latest interview

Gareth Bale has had a lot to say lately about his time at Real Madrid.

In what was a successful stint at the Spanish capital, Bale won a record five UEFA Champions League crowns amongst other titles.

Amongst a host of questions the former Welsh international had to answer was that of his ability to speak Spanish.

Speaking to The Times Bale revealed that he did learn Spanish while at Real Madrid, but refused to speak it publicly because he did not want 'a big fuss' from the media.

The Welsh footballing legend spent eight trophy-laden seasons with Los Blancos after making the move from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013, winning three La Liga titles, three FIFA Club World Cups and the Copa del Rey.

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Bale on his time at Madrid

Bale lifted the lid on his £85 million move to the Santiago Bernabeu, admitting that he joined the club in order to play with Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“It was the reason why I joined [Benzema and Ronaldo], to play with those two and the others behind me with Modric, Xabi Alonso and then [Toni] Kroos signed.

I felt it was just an incredible opportunity to go to a club where it had amazing players," he said.

Despite the success he would go on to have at Los Blancos, Bale was regularly criticised by the Spanish press for everything ranging from supposedly poor performances, to his unwillingness to get caught up in the media frenzy at the club, to his supposed inability to speak Spanish.

Commenting on this, Bale revealed that he could in fact speak the language, but refused to for fear of losing his ability to lead a private life in Madrid.

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"You sign as a galactico and they expect you to be everywhere, do everything, and I was the opposite. I just wanted to play my football and then disappear back into the darkness," the 33-year-old explained.

"I could speak Spanish but I wouldn't want to because I just wanted to keep everything private and quiet and not have this big fuss around me.

Maybe that’s why they attacked me because I never really give a lot. They probably just didn’t understand me as a person."

Bale's passion for Golf

Bale is currently focusing on his lifelong passion of playing golf with a return to football unlikely for the 33-year-old in future.

He recently appeared in the BMW PGA Championship Celebrity Pro-Am line-up, as part of his plan to potentially play golf professionally in the years ahead, with a second Pro-Am slot lined up for September according to NBC Golf channel.

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Bale picks Messi above Ronaldo

Sports Brief previously reported Gareth Bale had opted for Messi ahead of Ronaldo as the greatest player to ever grace the UCL.

Bale’s choice has since fuelled the endless debate on who the greatest of all time is between the former Barcelona captain and Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.