Welsh winger Gareth Bale has claimed in a frank and friendly chat with Tottenham Hotspur and Wales team-player Joe Rodon that he saw a UFO with his own eyes.
In the Q&A exchange for the club’s YouTube channel, the 31-year-old defender, who is on loan from Real Madrid of La Liga, grilled Rodon, 23, on whether aliens exist. From the very start, he showed reluctance to ponder on the universally controversial subject, saying:
"I'm not going to say they don't exist so I'll say, not to cause an argument, I'm not against it or for it".
Visibly unsatisfied with the reply, Bale demanded that Rodon come up with something “definitive” on the matter, prompting the latter to tell his pal:
"I know you believe in it".
The introduction was enough to get Bale speaking at length:
"There's a lot of conspiracy theories and there's footage of UFOs out there that's been released by the US Government".
Yet, Rodon seemed to be in no way impressed referring to such facts as “fake”, and saying he himself can hardly know “what’s out there”.
Bale, however, instantly shot back, quite emotionally:
"There is definitely, 100 per cent aliens. 100 per cent. There's been video footage released."
Although the chat further moved to another topic, Bale eagerly seized on the opportunity to get back again to extra-terrestrial matters, claiming twice in a row that he has “actually once” seen a flying saucer.
And it seems Rodon was tempted to accept the fact that aliens “exist” – just to “get you off my back”, the centre-back told his mate.
Bale isn’t the first sports star to have claimed he had an encounter or caught sight of extra-terrestrials.
Ex-Argentine midfielder Guillermo Marino, for instance, earlier blamed a missed training day on being abducted by aliens, whereas the late Argentine legend Diego Maradona once claimed he had spent three days inside an alien craft after a night out in a pub.
NFL star Baker Mayfield for his part set the tongues wagging last month after claiming he witnessed a UFO “drop out of” the skies above Texas.