Gareth Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett has expressed his fury towards the British and Spanish press over the treatment of his superstar client.
Bale endured a tough time with the press during his time at Real Madrid despite winning all there is to win in the Spanish capital.
But his agent, Barnett, says the press were 'disgraceful', falsely reporting that Bale couldn't speak Spanish and spreading other mistruths despite the Welshman being 'popular' among his Real teammates.
"The press on both sides...more so in Spain but here as well, they really look to knock the superstars down and Gareth was an example of it," he told TalkSPORT.
"Instead of saying how great Gareth is, they come out with the most ridiculous statements ever.
"Things like 'he is suffering because he can't speak Spanish. That's written by someone who knows nothing because he does speak Spanish.
"All these little things without checking facts, it's disgraceful.
"Towards the end of his career there, for various reasons, which obviously we can't go into, towards the end it went wrong.
"For the majority of the time it was great, he loves Real Madrid, he loves the town and everything about it and he still has a lot of ties there.
"And contrary to reports, he was very popular there with players and everybody else."
Such difficult times may now be behind Bale following his return to Tottenham on a season-long loan deal.
And, for now, at least, Barnett is enjoying seeing the smile on his Welsh client's face following his North London homecoming.
"For me, the greatest thrill was to see him smile again," he added.
"He has had a hard time in the last couple of years from people who know nothing about him in the press.
"Now to see him smile and be happy is wonderful. He is back, he loves Tottenham and he is very happy.
"We had offers from other places but he wasn't interested, it was Tottenham."
"I believe Spurs have a great chance now of winning the title if everything goes to plan.
"I think they have bought very well and they have a great coach, so we will see."
