Gareth Bale's Agent Hits Out at Spanish Media for False Reports on Real Madrid Winger
By Tom Gott
The agent of Real Madrid's Gareth Bale has hit out at the Spanish media for putting together false reports about the winger, but insisted the Wales star pays no attention to anything written about him.
Bale's injury struggles and inconsistent form have made him a regular target for outlets across Europe, many of whom are quick to accuse the winger of creating his own problems and refusing to help himself.
One common criticism of Bale is the accusation that he does not speak Spanish and has shown no interest in learning to do so since 2013, but agent Jonathan Barnett told Sport Witness that simply isn't true and shows a lack of care from journalists.
“He speaks Spanish very well," Barnett said. "Certain journalists, and quite a lot of them in Spain aren’t very good at their job, they don’t study enough and they write for the sake of it.
“Mostly incorrectly, and I don’t know why. I think the standard is pretty low. They want to write things that aren’t true and if they don’t want to verify them, then it’s fine.
“Nothing a journalist writes impacts Gareth. Lies and fake news never bother him. People shouldn’t take too much notice of it.
“It’s quite simple. You read what some of these journalists write and then you look at what Gareth has achieved. And you choose yourself, which one you wish to believe.”
Bale has won four Champions League trophies and one La Liga title but has found himself on the periphery of manager Zinedine Zidane's squad for the last few years. A move to China came close last summer but ultimately collapsed at the last minute.
Barnett also took the opportunity to give his two cents on Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, who has forged a reputation as one of the toughest negotiators in the business.
“It was hard [negotiating for Bale’s transfer to Real]," he confessed. "One thing about Daniel Levy is he’s very honest and very straight, so I think you don’t mind.
“I think we’re tough. I think I knew what we were doing. As long as you know the person is honest with you, keeps his word, it makes life a lot easier. It was a hard negotiation, but not bad or evil or anything like that.”