Not many Welsh football fans will argue against the fact that Gareth Bale is widely regarded as the nation’s greatest-ever football player. After announcing his retirement from the beautiful game in January 2023, the Cardiff-born winger cemented himself amongst other Wales legends, such as Ryan Giggs, Ian Rush, Mark Hughes, and John Charles. But what’s life like now for the former Southampton prodigy?
Bale is potentially still interested in the game
Although Bale is a keen golfer, much like the rest of us, he’ll surely be closely following European football this season while potentially out on the golf course. While Bale probably won’t be rushing back to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium anytime soon, he’ll surely be watching his former side in action as they attempt to win a competition they’ve won more than any other club, with a total of 14 titles. As such, fans who bet on Champions League today will be confidently backing Bale’s old club given enticing odds of 15/2, while other sides, such as holders Manchester City, and Bayern Munich stand out for others. Bale will certainly be hoping Los Blancos reign supreme at Wembley in the final, something he managed to do five times with the Spanish giants.
Gareth Bale says goodbye. ✌️
: @LAFC pic.twitter.com/leSycdiQEY
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) January 14, 2023
The all-time record goal scorer for the Welsh national football team with a total of 41 goals, Bale clearly didn’t fancy a move into punditry following his retirement. While former players like Peter Crouch are now respected pundits and are offering football tips to fans ahead of any big encounters in the Premier League, Bale hasn’t been seen on television sharing his views, although he has been spotted at Cardiff City Stadium to receive a special send-off from Wales fans before their Euro 2024 qualifier against Latvia. It was a beautiful moment and one the former Spurs star definitely deserved.
Bale is back on the golf course
It certainly hogged the headlines at the time and didn’t endear him to the Real Madrid faithful despite his notable achievements for the club, but during his time at the Spanish superpower, Bale announced his love for golf.
His passion for putting was displayed once again when he entered the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournament, eventually going on to finish joint-16th with his partner before the event was called off due to adverse weather conditions.
Like many professional footballers who call it a day, Bale clearly adores the sport of golf and is evidently adept at the game given his handicap of two. He even has a three-hole custom golf course at his home in the Vale of Glamorgan.
His nearest and nearest are important to him
After being pictured on numerous occasions with friends and family, the former speedster is known to be a sociable person. From staying in luxurious hotels to enjoying skiing holidays in world-famous locations like Big Bear Mountain Resort in California, one of the best footballers of his generation is clearly enjoying spending time with people close to him, something he undoubtedly wasn’t able to do as frequently during his playing days.
Bale has been spotted at a few major events
Gareth Bale and Novak Djokovic teamed up to help their team win the Ryder Cup All-Star Match ️♂️ pic.twitter.com/KajFnxhcjD
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 27, 2023
When he isn’t sinking birdie putts and sampling some high-speed action on the ski slopes, Bale has been pictured back at former club LAFC to collect his MLS Cup Champions ring. Additionally, he took in Adele’s final show of her Las Vegas residency, and managed to come out on top in the Ryder Cup All-Star trophy, alongside following the action from the sidelines with tennis star, Novak Djokovic, one of his teammates in the All-Star trophy triumph.
One thing’s for sure, Gareth Bale is certainly adapting to life after football well.
