Gareth Bale hits back at ‘muscle loss’ photograph

Gareth Bale has hit back at a photo which suggested he had lost muscle mass.

Some Wales and Madrid fans reacted with concern when a picture taken at Real Madrid’s training complex appeared online, suggesting a deterioration in his physique.

The picture was then placed alongside an image of Bale during pre-season – six months apart.

Appearing noticeably leaner in the most recent image, the post quickly went viral with fans questioning the player’s apparent muscle loss.

Gareth Bale’s body transformation 👀 pic.twitter.com/rovtx4XbsW

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 30, 2022

‘At what point did Bale lose so much muscle mass? Only six months’ difference,’ tweeted one shocked Real supporter, with many similar comments following.

Bale, however, has made fun of the suggestion on his Instagram – posting a different image from the same training session, which clearly showed there has been no such deterioration.

The image on Bale’s Instagram account included a giant green arrow pointing at his prominent thigh muscle alongside a ‘crying-laughing’ emoji and a flexed muscle emoji.

 

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A post shared by Gareth Bale (@garethbale11)

The 32-year-old has endured another injury-plagued campaign back at the Bernabeu, struggling with knee, calf and back issues as well as testing positive for coronavirus in December.

As a result, he has not played for Real since August, although he was an unused substitute in matches against Atletico Madrid and Elche in December and January.

Despite this, Bale was said to be the fittest player in the squad, after physical tests showed no other Real player had reached his level of fitness.

That’s great news for Wales fans, with the country’s crunch World Cup playoff game against Austria looming next month.

Bale could finally be back in action this evening with the Welshman in contention to start in tonight’s Copa del Rey clash with Athletic Bilbao.