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What's the story?
Former Tottenham Hotspur player, Jermaine Jenas, has slammed Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for his public criticism of teammate Gareth Bale recently.
In case you didn't know...
Last month, Courtois informed the media of Bale's refusal to go out to dinner and socialise with his teammates, stating that the Welshman would rather play golf instead.
Bale is often criticised for his introverted nature off the pitch, with many slamming him for not learning Spanish to improve communication with his Los Blancos teammates.
Courtois added that while he has already begun living like someone who was born in Madrid, Bale, who has been in the capital since 2013, would not even attend dinners with his teammates.
The heart of the matter
Jenas has now hit out at Courtois for his comments on Bale, stating that the goalkeeper was "bang out of order" to say something like that in public.
Speaking exclusively to Goal, the former Spurs man said,
"I thought Courtois was bang out of order to say what he said about Gaz in public."
Jenas defended his former teammate, stating that he was always one to choose his family over going out with his teammates, and he never had a problem with that back in England.
"I got on really well with him and one of the things I loved about him was that he was his own man. If we were going out as a squad, he would often opt out and stay at home with his family, but I never had a problem with that."
"He went back home to spend time with his family in Cardiff all the time and that's him. Is there anything wrong with that? That's Gaz. He has a young family, he likes to spend time with them, so why should he go out partying with the lads every few minutes?"
The former English international went on to say that if he had a problem with a teammate, he would speak to them directly, instead of indirectly addressing it in the media.
"If I ever had a problem with a team-mate, I went to them directly and told them to their face, but to go to the media and try to belittle a team-mate and say he doesn't like going out was not necessary.
"Why would Courtois do that? I remember speaking to Gaz at Spurs if we had a Christmas party and he would often say he would leave it. No problem, no pressure. Maybe he enjoys playing golf and spending time with his family, but when did that become a crime?"
Jenas added that it appears Bale is being made to look like the scapegoat in the team.
"Look, everyone is happy when things are going great and when things start going wrong, some throw punches and look for scapegoats. They are the kind of people you don't want too have around a dressing room in my opinion."
What's next?
Real Madrid is scheduled to face Ajax in the second leg of their crucial Champions League Round of 16 fixture on Wednesday night.
