James Lawrence has spoken out on Wales team-mate Gareth Bale's "laid-back personality", while also revealing what really happened with the controversial 'Wales, Golf, Madrid' banner in 2019.
Bale is currently preparing with the rest of the national squad for the beginning of the European Championships, which they will warm up for with friendlies against France and Albania over the next four days.
Lawrence is enjoying his time working alongside the Real Madrid winger, who spent the 2020-21 campaign on loan at Tottenham, and says he is in a relaxed mood ahead of the international tournament.
What's been said?
The St Pauli defender told Goal and SPOX: "Gareth is an extremely laid-back guy with a great sense of humour. He loves to fool around, make jokes and laugh."
Bale's infamous 'Wales. Golf. Madrid.' joke
Lawrence went on to recall the moment Bale incited the wrath of Real Madrid fans following Wales' playoff victory against Hungary two years ago which sealed their spot at Euro 2020.
The 28-year-old insists that the squad's decision to stand behind the banner that stirred up a media storm in Spain was a spontaneous one, but also believes the whole incident was blown out of proportion.
Lawrence said of the Welsh flag that had "Wales. Golf. Madrid. In That Order" emblazoned across it: "Someone of us saw the banner in the stands, took it onto the pitch and suddenly we were all behind it.
"It wasn't a planned thing, it happened completely spontaneously. We all found the slogan extremely funny, including Gareth.
"Some people in Spain apparently felt differently, but it was a joke. You shouldn't take it too seriously."
How did Bale perform for Spurs in 2020-21?
Bale's return to Tottenham after seven years away did not go quite as smoothly as he might have hoped, with Jose Mourinho only using him sparingly before being relieved of his managerial duties in north London in April.
The Madrid loanee endured familiar struggles for form and fitness, but still managed to contribute 16 goals and three assists to the Spurs cause across 34 outings, including six in six under interim boss Ryan Mason.
Bale's international record
Bale was handed his international debut at the age of just 16 years and 315 days old back in 2006, becoming the youngest player in Wales' history.
He has since earned a total of 90 caps for the Dragons, scoring 33 goals, and managed to inspire them to the semi-finals of the 2016 European Championships in France.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)