Gareth Bale 'in that order' flag inspires Spanish football
After the Welshman danced behind a fan's flag with the words 'Wales, golf, Madrid' taken from a Mijatovic quote, others have joined in.
Gareth Bale can't help himself. On Tuesday, after helping Wales clinch a place at next summer's Euro 2020 finals, the Real Madrid player celebrated with his teammates along with a flag of his country with the message: "Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order". This was a phrase coined by Mijatovic at the end of October, when he said "Bale thinks first of the Welsh team, then golf and then Real Madrid." Fans of the Red Dragons loved it.
Gareth Bale 'In that order'
The fun that the Welsh supporters have had with it has made headlines across Spain, with Los Blancos reportedly unhappy with the attitude of their highly paid yet often absent star. And as the news has circulated, it has inspired other groups within Spanish football to create their own versions.
Take Valencia for example. In their official English Twitter account they published an image of the club's flag with the message: "Valencia. Paella. Fallas" and the now obligatory, 'In that order' after it. Real Betis also joined in with a more simplistic "Betis. Betis. Betis."
Then there is Fuenlabrada, a revelation in LaLiga SmartBank. The Madrid-based team showed off their own version with their players after training holding a Fuenla flag and reading "Fuenla. Pride. Humility."
One of the most curious copies of the Bale flag, however, was made by the Navalcarnero Artistic Sports Club. The Madrid team chose the words: "Meat. Chickpeas. Rice".
As well as flags, the expression is being used in other ways to poke fun. In Marselle's latest cartoon, you don't need to speak French to understand the reference of where Bale's place in the team lies with Zidane at the helm.
Surely many more uses of the phrase will follow...