Bale hits back at 'parasite' jab by Spanish media

Gareth Bale has spoken out against be labelled a "parasite" by Spanish outlet Marca.

The Wales and Real Madrid winger says he's tired of the media kicking athletes when they're down with a recent column accusing the 32-year-old Bale of "sucking the club's money" by being more committed to his national team than his club team.

Bale scored both goals on Thursday in Wales's 2-1 defeat of Austria to move on in UEFA World Cup qualifying.

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"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," Bale wrote.

The Cardiff native says he wants to continue to speak up for the mistreatment of athletes by the media.

"So I want to use my platform to encourage change in the way we publicly talk about, and criticize people, simply for the most part, not meeting the often unrealistic expectations that are projected onto them...We all know who the real parasite is!"

Bale is in his eighth season at the Bernabeu following a then-world-record £85.1 million transfer from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013. In his time with Los Blancos, Bale has won 14 major honours, including four Champions League titles, but the last several seasons have seen Bale sidelined with various injuries.

Out of contract at season's end, Bale is widely expected to leave the team, but has remained tightlipped about any future plans.