Real Madrid vs. Villarreal: Zidane gets angry when asked about Gareth Bale

Apart from his duties on the pitch and on the training ground, Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane also gives press briefings. In an interview ahead of the team's crucial match against Villarreal on Thursday, the Frenchman got visibly annoyed when he was asked about Gareth Bale and the latter's highly-publicised "antics" off the pitch.

During a video conference with members of the media, someone asked if the controversial Welshman, who has been creating a lot of noise as of late, will be sold in the summer transfer window.

"[Translated] He is one of us. You're trying to stir things up between us, but you won't be able to. You always ask the same thing. You're allowed to and that's your right to ask what you want, but you won't be able to [stir things up]," said Zidane, in a video shared by Marca.

Knowing where the line of questioning will lead, Zidane did not wait for another problematic player, James Rodriguez, to be brought up. He decided to mention the Colombian even before anyone asked about him. "We're united and we're all thinking the same thing. Gareth, James and everyone here think the same and want the same," he said.

Indeed, everyone in Real Madrid is thinking about the match against Villarreal on Thursday night. The penultimate match of the season gives them the opportunity to clinch the 2019-2020 La Liga title. Real Madrid currently leads the La Liga table by four points ahead of FC Barcelona. If they both win their respective matches tonight, it means that there will be four points between them going into the final round. That result will guarantee a 34th La Liga title for Los Blancos.

"We're thinking about tomorrow's game and Gareth is thinking about the same thing, about tomorrow's game," he reiterated.

Bale has been called up for the match, but it remains to be seen if he will start or play at all. He caused quite a stir after being seen pretending to use his protective face mask as a sleeping mask while on the bench during a recent game.

Real Madrid vs. Villarreal will be played on Thursday, July 16 at 20:00 BST.