Spanish press respond to Bale's "almost perfect Spanish" as he joins new club

Gareth Bale hasn't been able to escape the eyes of the Spanish media despite leaving Real Madrid and crossing the Atlantic.

The Welsh international spent nine years in Madrid after joining in what was then a world record move from Tottenham Hotspur. However, during a injury-hit spell with Los Blancos, he was the target of plenty of ire from publications such as Marca.

Back in March, Bale said his critics should be "ashamed of themselves," while his reluctance to speak Spanish during his time in Spain was sometimes a matter of discussion. However, upon touching down to join new club Los Angeles FC, he had a special message Spanish-speaking supporters of the MLS side.

"Hello Los Angeles," Bale said in a video shared on LAFC's Spanish-language Twitter account. "32:52. I'm here in Los Angeles. See you at the game tonight."

"It has taken nine years to hear Gareth Bale speak Spanish well," was the response from Marca. The publication also made reference to the large Spanish-speaking community in California, as well as in the locker room, where Mexico star Carlos Vela is among Bale's new teammates.

Marca had previously said "Bale is a phenomenon when he wants to be," after he fired Wales closer to the World Cup with a victory over Austria in March. He would later play a part in the Andriy Yarmolenko own goal which confirmed Rob Page's side's progress to Qatar, but featured sparingly for his club side in his final season.

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Marca had previously labelled Bale a parasite, and Bale was asked about the comments in March when thriving for Wales. However, the former Southampton man rose above it, saying "No. I don't need to send a message, honestly."

"It's a waste of my time, it's just disgusting," he added, "They should also be ashamed of themselves. I'm not fussed."

The Marca piece, written by Manuel Julia, had argued: "He settled in Spain, at Real Madrid, where, masked, he first showed diligence and love for the guest, but then his nature led him to suck blood without giving anything in return. Well, more than blood, he sucked, and sucks, the club's euros."

However, despite an underwhelming final season, Bale did help deliver trophies to the Spanish club. He was on target in the 2014 Champions League final, helping deliver La Decima, and also scored twice in the victory over Liverpool in the final four years later.

He arrived in Los Angeles in time to watch his new team beat LA Galaxy in a hard-fought derby. Jose Cifuentes scored twice, with Cristian Arango also on target, as Steven Cherundolo's side claimed a 3-2 victory.

Bale isn't the only big name to arrive at the club in 2022. Euro 2020 winner Giorgio Chiellini has joined from Juventus to further boost a team which currently sits top of the Western Conference in MLS.