Gareth Bale defends golf habits with Steph Curry comparison 🏀 | OneFootball

Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale does not understand the criticism he receives for playing golf, insisting his love of the sport makes him a better footballer.

Bale has faced scrutiny in Spain for focusing too much on gold and not playing for Madrid, where he has been plagued by numerous injury issues.

The Wales international has been nicknamed ‘the Golfer’ by his club team-mates but pointed to the example set by Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry – who also shares a passion for golf.

“A lot of people have problems with me playing golf, I don’t know why,” he told the Erik Anders Lang Show podcast. “I’ve spoken to doctors and everybody’s fine with it.

“The media have this perception that it’s not good for me: ‘You should be resting, it can cause problems, injuries.’ In America, I know Steph Curry plays maybe on the morning of a game.

“Here, if I play two days before a game it’s like, ‘What’s he doing?’

“I just like going out to play, thinking I’ve got 18 holes ahead of me. You can get away from the football, away from anything negative that’s going on, and reset your mind.

“The next day you feel a bit more fresh and ready to go and concentrate and feel better about football again.

“People can have their own opinions, as long as I know I’ve tried my best and I’ve played as well as I can then I’m happy with that.”

Bale has endured a difficult 2019/20 campaign, scoring just two goals in 14 league appearances.