Bale was an unused substitute as Real recorded a 2-0 win at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano thanks to goals in each half from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio, restoring their four-point lead over Barcelona in the La Liga standings and leaving Zinedine Zidane's team just two wins from clinching the title.

For Bale, however, it was a languid evening in the late Madrid sunshine as he watched the game from the stands, social distancing with his fellow substitutes.

The star, who picks up a reported €400,000 a week, was so relaxed that at one point the cameras captured him putting his feet up and turning his mask into a sleeping aid, as he jokingly pretended to take a mid-match snooze.

Bale has endured an increasingly tetchy relationship in recent seasons with Madrid fans who accuse him of a lack of commitment due to his long-running injury woes and supposed priorities of representing his country and playing rounds of golf.

As the images of Bale snoozing started to circulate online, some praised the 30-year-old Champions League hero for the ultimate flex on disgruntled fans of his team.