1 week Ago By [email protected] (Tom Sunderland, John Jones)
It's been more than two years since Wales' greatest footballer, Gareth Bale, hung up his boots. Before retiring at 33, the Cardiff-born superstar earned 111 caps for his country, netting a record 41 goals and leading them to three major tournaments - including their first World Cup in 64 years. At club level, he kick-started his career at Southampton before becoming a star player at Tottenham and securing a then-world record £85million transfer to Real Madrid .
He bagged five Champions League crowns and three titles in La Liga during his stint in Spain before rounding off his career with an MLS Cup title with Los Angeles FC. Bale has spent much of his early retirement jetting off on dream holidays and attending top events alongside actual royalty with Prince William , as well as metaphorical kings like Novak Djokovic and Steph Curry . It hasn't all been leisure and relaxation for the Welshman, however, and here's everything you need to know about Bale's amazing new life away from the pitch.
Living the dream Bale has been enjoying the high life off the pitch, spending quality time with his wife and children. He tied the knot with his childhood love, Emma Rhys-Jones, in 2019, and they have four children - Alba, Nava, Axel, and Xander, per Wales Online. Since hanging up his boots, Bale has been sharing snaps of family time, jet-setting and making precious memories with his kids.
He has also been a guest at numerous high-profile events, rubbing shoulders with the fashion elite in the front row at runways and adding to his modelling portfolio with Burberry. The Welshman mingles with celebrities, snapping photos with tennis ace Djokovic at Wimbledon, gaming with F1 star Lando Norris, and playing golf with Rory McIlroy. Even at home, Bale is living a life sports fans can only fantasise about having built a custom three-hole golf course in the garden of his £4m Vale of Glamorgan mansion.
Massive net worth Two years after announcing his retirement, Bale's net worth is still estimated to be an impressive £120m. The ex-Real superstar was banking an astonishing £600,000 a week at the height of his career in Spain, but he has also been bagging business goals to secure his future. Bale kicked off with the 2017 launch of his own watering hole, 'Elevens', right in Cardiff's city centre.
Not content with one venture, he married his entrepreneurial spirit with his golfing passion to unveil Par 59 on Cardiff ’s St Mary Street five years later. He has since opened another Par 59 in Bristol, and despite not being one for a tipple himself, he's made a "significant investment" in becoming a minority shareholder at Penderyn Distillery. Off the green, Bale has staked his claim in Tiger Woods and McIlroy's TGL golf league and bagged some lucrative endorsement deals with big hitters like Adidas, Playstation and BMW.
With his boots long since shelved, whispers emerged that Bale might fancy a foray into football ownership himself. And former Wales assistant manager Osian Roberts told The Athletic how Bale's pals pushed him to purchase Merthyr Town FC. "They joked during the Euros that they wanted Gareth to buy a Welsh club lower down," said Roberts.
"Everyone would sign for him and take them all the way through the pyramid to the Premier League so they could all play together every week. That's how close they were - they didn't want to just do it during the international breaks, they wanted to be together every day of the week." Transformation and athletic goals Bale has been flaunting his enviable physique on Instagram during his recent trip to Abu Dhabi.
Despite putting football in the rear view, his commitment to fitness was evident with his chiselled abs and toned body as he enjoyed some beach time. Off the pitch, Bale's passion for golf remains undiminished, boasting an impressive handicap of two. After playing with McIlroy last year, the pro golfer had high praise for Bale's skills, suggesting he has what it takes to impress.
"He has the potential to get to scratch [a handicap of zero], the way he hits the ball he could be a scratch player, but he's only played for the last few years," said McIlroy of his fellow enthusiast. "There is a difference between being able to hit the golf ball well and getting yourself around the golf course and managing your game – that's the part he's learning now." The Welsh icon swapped his boots for a set of clubs and once made magic happen on a course in California by nailing his first-ever hole in one.
Filmed by a pal, the moment was shared on Bale's Instagram and showed him gearing up while his mate predicts glory: "Hole in one time, never had one. This is the hole to do it." As they celebrate the ball's epic 200-yard flight landing straight in the cup, Bale and his mates go wild.
And his friend quipped "he doesn't just do bicycle kicks" - nodding to his iconic 2018 Champions League final goal against Liverpool . The former Real star has dived into golf and even joined forces last year with basketball icon Curry as an ambassador for the Underrated Golf European Tour. Not only that, but he has also collaborated with Adidas on their golf line-up.
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