Gareth Bale insults Real Madrid, declares himself fit for Wales after missing El Clasico

The Welshman refuses to elaborate on the "niggle" he suffered

Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has landed himself in hot water once more, after his recent actions have been branded as an "insult" towards his current club. The Welshman pulled out of the squad for Real Madrid's all important "El Clasico" match on Sunday, but has subsequently declared himself fit to play for Wales on Thursday.

Karim Benzema's injury kept him out of the Real Madrid lineup for the clash against bitter rivals FC Barcelona, and all eyes fell on the remaining players on the substitute's list. It was expected for Vinicius Junior to start, but the rest of the front line had been battling for position throughout most of the season. With the Frenchman absent and with little confidence towards both Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz as of late, many were hoping for Bale to step up.

However, he pulled out of the squad due to what was described as a small "niggle" that had been bothering him on the morning of the match that Real Madrid lost 4-0.

In what The Sun now calls "The Miracle of Wales," Bale has confirmed that he is fit to play for his country in the upcoming World Cup qualifying play-off. Because of this, reports have emerged that manager Carlo Ancelotti has received direct instructions from Don Florentino Perez himself to leave Bale off the squad for the remainder of the season.

Neither Bale nor Real Madrid have been able to elaborate on the player's "niggle," but he was not even at the Santiago Bernabeu to watch his teammates get thrashed by the Catalans.

"I don't need to clarify. I don't need to tell anyone what was up — I don't need to give anyone anything to use against me," said Bale when asked about the injury. "But everything is fine now, I have no issues," he said before describing the situation as "normal."

Bale's contract is set to expire at the end of the current campaign, and many are lamenting his current position in the club after winning four Champions League titles and scoring important goals in two of those finals.