Gareth Bale has confirmed that he will not be returning to soccer out of retirement as rumors of him joining Wrexham are circulating.
Wrexham has had an outstanding season, winning the National League and gaining promotion to the English Football League (EFL), the fourth division of English football.
But it was not good enough for Gareth Bale to come out of retirement and join the club, despite team owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s efforts.
What happened with Gareth Bale and the Wrexham owners?
Bale announced his retirement in January, at the age of 33, just seven months after joining American club LAFC. He has spent his retirement resting and playing golf on some of the world’s top courses, but he recently took time out of his day to congratulate the Wrexham owners.
McElhenney shared the video on Twitter, with a long-haired Bale saying, ‘Hi Rob, just want to congratulate you on your promotion and everything you are doing at Wrexham.’ He concluded his speech by giving the camera a thumbs up.
McElhenney added a caption that said, ‘Hey Gareth Bale let’s play golf, where I totally won’t spend four hours trying to convince you to un-retire for one last magical season.’
I will shave a professional-grade golf course into Rob’s back if you’ll give Wrexham a season. ⛳️
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) April 26, 2023
Playing along, Bale responded with, ‘Depends what course…’ He also tagged the course at St Andrew’s.
Ryan Reynolds then also joined the party, “I will shave a professional-grade golf course into Rob’s back if you’ll give Wrexham a season.”
Many Wrexham fans were quick to ask the Welsh soccer legend to come to their club for a last dance.
What did Gareth Bale say?
Speaking at the FEVO Sport Industry Awards 2023, Bale according to ESPN said regarding the rumors,
“No, I don’t think so. I think I was looking more for a free round of golf from Rob. I’m sure we’ll have a chat and a joke but, I’m quite happy where I am—spending a lot of time with my kids, and my wife, time that I’ve lost so much of over the years being committed to football. I’m just enjoying family life and playing some golf.”
Gareth Bale turns down Wrexham offer 👎 pic.twitter.com/R8y5inXiNt
— GOAL (@goal) April 28, 2023
Bale has never played in a division lower than the Championship while in England and during his stellar career won five Champions League titles, three La Liga trophies, and a single Spanish Cup at Madrid. The Welsh legend also featured 111 times for Wales and scored 41 goals and even took them to their first World Cup in 64 years.
He then retired after winning the MLS Cup with LAFC.
Wrexham and their rise to global fame
In November 2020, co-creator Rob McElhenney and Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds purchased Wrexham for $2.5 million. The third-oldest football club in the world has since expanded its fan base globally.
Welcome To Wrexham, an FX documentary that debuted on Disney+ in the UK, examines the club’s new beginning with the transition to its new management. The documentary brought the club to global fame. They have now acquired more than one million followers on their social media platforms.
The Wrexham story is INSANE:
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) April 22, 2023
• Bought for $2.5M
• Produced docu-series on FX
• Added 1M+ social media followers
• Tripled season ticket purchases
• Signed sponsorships with TikTok, Expedia, etc.
And now they've been promoted back to the EFL for the first time in 15 years. pic.twitter.com/fwEtELDovF
Wrexham has surpassed the budget and expenditure of their other National League opponents. According to sources, more than £10 million has been invested in completely revamping the club. They have also signed sponsorship deals with TikTok and Expedia.
In an effort to entice attackers Ollie Palmer and Paul Mullin away from Football League teams, the team has seen significant investment in transfer fees and wages, as well as enhanced training facilities with the construction of a new performance gym on the grounds of the stadium. All of these have tripled their season ticket purchases.
The team has already finished their season. They will next face Chelsea in the Florida Cup on July 19 before taking on Manchester United in a pre-season friendly in July in San Diego.
