Wales will be at Euro 2020 next summer and while the country has been in raptures over the last 24 hours, it appears some in Spain aren’t overly impressed.
It all centres around Wales’ star man Gareth Bale and that “Wales, golf, Madrid” flag. Whatever your thoughts on the club-versus-country argument over the Welshman, it is impossible to ignore it.
When Ryan Giggs’ side qualified for the European tournament on Tuesday night thanks to a 2-0 win over Hungary , the post-match celebrations pushed Bale and his frosty relationship with his club Real Madrid back into the spotlight.
He was pictured dancing joyously with the “Wales, golf, Madrid” flag that has been made famous by those chants on the terraces and his club were with the joke.
, who have now placed Bale front and centre on page one of national paper Marca with the headline: “Irrespetuoso. Desacertado. Desagradecido. En ese orden.” It translates as: “Disrespectful. Wrong. Ungrateful. In that order.”
The Welshman’s relationship with the Madrid-based media has been difficult at best, and Bale will know that when he heads back to the Spanish capital this week that he will face a spiky reception from the Los Blancos faithful.
His actions and comments over the past few days won’t have helped matters but it appears to be a situation heading towards a tense climax. After being linked with a China move over the summer, Bale is likely to find himself the subject of even more transfer links in January, not least with a possible reunion with Tottenham Hotspur and Jose Mourinho.
Bale obviously loves playing for Wales and whenever he pulls on the red shirt he plays with his heart on his sleeve. But back in Spain, he is likely to face more questions over his perceived lack of commitment.
