A Welsh international footballer choosing between club and country and angering one of the two – where have we heard this before?
But unlike Ryan Giggs before him, Gareth Bale has gone through his career remaining loyal to Wales, sometimes to the detriment of his club side.
Real Madrid will be without their record signing after he suffered a recurrence of a calf injury in his country’s win over Andorra – a game which meant nothing after results elsewhere had already guaranteed Chris Coleman’s side a place at Euro 2016.
And to say the Spanish media haven’t taken kindly to the news is an understatement.
Bale’s “selfishness” was referenced by AS, who note that Cristiano Ronaldo returned to club duty after Portugal sealed their qualification in their penultimate group game.
“The injury to Bale is a real irritant to every proper Madrid fan,” editor Tomas Roncero added.
Radio journalist Roberto Morales was equally critical, calling Bale’s decision to feature against Andorra “an act of total irresponsibility.”
The Welshman’s injury is expected to rule him out for three weeks, a period which includes both of Real Madrid’s Champions League meetings with Paris Saint-Germain.
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