'Make sure you speak Spanish!' - Gareth Bale aims dig at Spanish press as he sends 'puppet' message to Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham

Now-retired Bale, who was famously reluctant to speak Spanish, offered Bellingham somewhat sarcastic advice on success in La Liga. Although he filled his trophy cabinet in Madrid, the winger had a fractious relationship with the Spanish media — something he advised Bellingham to steer clear of. The English midfielder has scored 13 goals and added three assists in his first 14 games in Madrid white.

In an appearance on the English game show, A League of Their Own, Bale outlined some tips: "The biggest advice, play the game at Madrid. If you don't play the game, do what the media want, speak to them, basically be a puppet, you do get a lot of stick... Speak after the games, make sure you speak in Spanish, do those kind of things."

Bale also opened up on his struggles during the end of his Madrid career: "You'll see a lot of Galacticos, they act like Galacticos, they play the game of being at Real Madrid, that's probably why it was at a bit of a downfall for me... I didn't want to do it, I just wanted to play football and go home and that probably hindered me and that made them attack me a bit more."

Despite the criticism Bale received from the Spanish media, he was a crucial part of an immensely successful Madrid side, forming the third prong of a dominant trio that also included Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. He finished his La Liga career with 106 goals and 67 assists and also bagged the winner in the 2013-14 Champions League final.

Bale seems to be enjoying his retirement, playing in golf tournaments and making television appearances. Bellingham, meanwhile, has hit the ground running in Madrid, and is likely to be in the side for Los Blancos' clash with Cadiz when they resume play after the November international break.