Luka Modric has jumped to the defence of Gareth Bale saying criticism of his time at Real Madrid is unfair.

The Croatian midfielder insisted Bale – who has returned to former club Tottenham on loan – was never a bad influence in the dressing room

“I’ve been with Gareth for a long time, almost my entire professional career,” said Modric who spent four years at Spurs with the Wales ace and seven at Madrid.

“He’s a great guy… I think that what people have said about him lately is unfair.

Embed from Getty Images

“Maybe they judge him for the last few years, but what Gareth did at Madrid is impressive. For me, he’ll always be remembered as a player who has done a lot for the team and the club.”

Bale, currently sidelined by a knee injury that means he will miss Wales’ friendly with England on Thursday, won four Champions League crowns and two La Liga titles at Madrid.

But his relationship with manager Zinedine Zidane deteriorated and he made just 16 league appearances last season.

And he came in for criticism from the fans especially in his last few months at the club.

But Modric insisted Bale did his best to interact with his fellow players.

“People say a lot of things, but Gareth never had a problem in the dressing room with anyone,” Modric added. “He spoke Spanish, he just didn’t give interviews. In the dressing room, he’d joke and speak with us a bit.

“We were all really happy with him… People forget everything he’s done, but with the passing of time people will remember that he was an incredible, important player for Real Madrid.”

“Everyone has their own behaviour and way of doing things. Gareth was like that. He didn’t socialise much, but in the dressing room he was totally fine.

“It’s a shame that perhaps everything he’s done has been forgotten because of the last year, or year-and-a-half.”