Real Madrid star Gareth Bale defends golf habit, likens himself to Stephen Curry

Bale has twice delivered Real with history-making Champions-League-winning finishes: 

Nevertheless, the 30-year-old Bale has routinely felt a need to defend his love of golf during his time with the club. As The Guardian's Sid Lowe wrote, Bale responded to his critics last fall by holding a flag that carried the slogan "Wales. Golf. Madrid." following an international fixture. 

Per ESPN's Alex Kirkland, Bale recently discussed his favorite extracurricular activity during an appearance on the Erik Anders Lang podcast. 

Bale talked about the health benefits that come from playing golf, and the NBA fan mentioned that three-time Association champion and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry is no stranger to the game:

"The media have this perception that it's not good for me. 'You should be resting, it can cause problems, injuries.' In America, I know Steph Curry plays maybe on the morning of a game. Here, if I play two days before a game it's like 'what's he doing?'"

Bale continued: "I just like going out to play, thinking I've got 18 holes ahead of me. You can get away from the football, away from anything negative that's going on, and reset your mind, and the next day you feel a bit more fresh and ready to go and concentrate and feel better about football again."

Bale is routinely linked with a return to Tottenham and White Hart Lane before he calls time on his European career. He's also suggested a stint in Major League Soccer could be in his future.