Wales international Gareth Bale says the Spanish media "should all be ashamed of themselves" for the "disgusting" comments made about him in the press.
With reports suggesting he is set to leave Los Blancos as a free agent in the summer after nine years in Madrid, Spanish newspaper Marca fully ripped into the 32-year-old forward.
In a column for the publication, journalist Manuel Julia Dorado labelled Bale a 'parasite' who has been 'sucking' money from the club for almost a decade.
After scoring two screamers for Wales in their crucial World Cup qualifier against Austria on Thursday night - a game they went on to win 2-1 - Bale hit out at the critics in his post-match interview.
"No! I don't need to send a message, honestly," he told Sky Sports.
"I don't need to send a message, it's a waste of my time, it's disgusting and they should all be ashamed of themselves. I'm not fussed, end of."
You can see that interview alongside international teammate Aaron Ramsey below.
It was a night to remember for Bale, who opened the scoring with one of the best free-kicks you'll see this season. From around 25 yards out, he dipped the ball over the wall before clipping the underside of the crossbar.
Then, six minutes into the second half, Bale made it 2-0 with another cracking effort. Just take a look at this.
Bale, who has lifted four Champions League titles during his time in Madrid, also commented on his contract situation at Los Blancos after Fabrizio Romano said the former Spurs man will leave as a free agent in June.
"I haven't thought about that at all, since we knew we were going to be in this situation, my sole focus has been on this," he added.
"I know that thinking of the future can cause doubts in your mind so I've not been thinking about that, I've just been focusing on this game coming up.
"Whatever happens in the future I'll decide in the future."
Thoughts on Bale's situation at Real Madrid?
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Topics: gareth bale, Austria, World Cup, Wales, Real Madrid
Jack Kenmare