Gareth Bale has made it clear he is still keen for a new role in football.
The Wales legend was the front man to a thwarted bid to buy Cardiff City this summer, but the approaches were rebuffed by the club with chairman Mehmet Dalman describing the consortium’s efforts as “fantasy”.
Bale was reluctant to discuss that particular piece of business while at the Celtic Manor Resort to launch his Festival of Sport.
But sources close to the 36-year-old insist the American-funded bid was serious and remains a viable proposal for the League One club.
What role exactly Bale might have undertaken with his home town club is still as uncertain as the bid itself, but the former Real Madrid star insists: “If something was to happen with a football club, I would definitely be interested and would love to explore it.”
In the meantime, the Wales legend is channeling his energy into his love of golf and the promotion of broader sporting opportunities for children, the motivation behind the Gareth Bale Festival of Sport — keeping busy, staying connected, and reflecting on what’s next.
“I knew football wasn't going to last forever anyway. I enjoy being with family, keeping in football a little bit by doing some stuff on the TV. My kids also keep me very busy.”
"It's great to now have that time to spend with them and not be away every weekend and missing a lot of them growing up, just being able to go out and be a dad finally. At the moment I'm quite content where I am."
He describes himself as “still pretty relatively new into retirement so I’m still enjoying that phase of relaxing a bit.”
After arguably the greatest career in Welsh football, spanning two decades that included Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur, 111 caps for Wales, and so many unforgettable moments — few would begrudge him two years of family, friends and indulging his passion for golf.
He’s been competing in celebrity tournaments and pro-ams, enjoying a sport that offers him less pressure and more freedom.
“It’s always good to have a fun day, a bit more relaxed even if there are a lot of people watching.
“It’s been good to play in some of those events, even just to watch the pros up close and see how they do things. You can really learn a lot from it. It’s been good fun and I’m sure there will be a few more in the future.”
“I’m trying to practice my golf game. Obviously the weather is now turning, so that will probably take a bit of a big hit, but I’m enjoying finally being able to play golf with nobody judging me! Yeah, it’s good.”
Bale has recently played a couple of times with Andy Murray, a friend and fellow golf addict, and was struck by the former tennis star’s attitude and modesty on the course.
“Andy is a good player. He hasn’t been playing long, but he’s a very good player. I’ve played with him many times now and he’s such a good, nice, humble guy. He’s very funny as well.”
Away from the golf course, the man who scored a record 41 goals for his country has been watching Wales’ try to reach next year’s World Cup finals - their first attempt to make it without him since the 2006 campaign.
Wales’ all-time leading men’s scorer, has been admiring from the sidelines as Craig Bellamy breathes new life into the national side.
Bellamy, a former teammate of Bale’s, has overseen a promising start to Wales’ World Cup qualifying campaign, with the team firmly in the mix to make it to the 2026 finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
“My time was right to go and I think it was the right time to step aside and not hog the limelight, let the youngsters come through and take the team for the next 10 years,” Bale says.
With just a single point separating Wales, Belgium and North Macedonia in Group J, every match carries weight.
Bale believes Bellamy has re-energised the squad, putting them in a strong position for the months ahead.
“The campaign so far has been good, there has been a few nervy times but I think what Craig has done has been great.
“He’s come in, he’s taken over, he’s given that passion back to the team and made it very young and fresh, which I think it needed. I think it’s good, we’re right in the mix where we want to be.”
Wales host Belgium in Cardiff in October, a fixture that could make or break automatic qualification hopes.
“We have very good teams in the group as well so I think the main thing with a campaign, you can easily be knocked out of a campaign very quickly and the fact that we’re still in the mix, we’re right there at the top with the other nations, is important.
“It’s going to be a big game against Belgium but I’m sure Craig’s going to get the players ready and the fans will definitely be there to cheer them on.”
The Festival of Sport
Bale says: “The Festival of Sport is something I look forward to every year. It’s vital we give young people the chance to try sports for the first time.
“As a boy, I played every sport I could and I’m sure that helped me to develop as an athlete. That’s why it’s been great to see the smiles on these young athletes’ faces today as they play sports they maybe have never had the chance to try before.
“At the other end of the scale, I also think we need to give elite young sportspeople the chance to compete at the highest level, so it’s been great to see the standard of golf continue to rise in the Gareth Bale Championship.
“They could not ask for a better venue than the championship courses here at Celtic Manor and tournaments like this are key for them to challenge themselves and hopefully reach the top of the game.”
David Griffin, Resort Operations Director at Celtic Manor:
“We are delighted to host the Gareth Bale Championship and Festival of Sport once again and support this brilliant initiative to bring more sporting opportunities to young people.
“We are committed to supporting golf development here at Celtic Manor, having hosted our own Junior Wales Open for many years and our Golf Academy is a practice base for the Welsh national team and development squads.”
Rhiannon Sheen de Jesus, Regional Partnership Manager for StreetGames, Wales
“At StreetGames, we are committed to breaking down barriers and ensuring that all young people, regardless of background, have the opportunity to experience the transformative power of sport.
“The Gareth Bale Festival of Sport is a perfect example of how we can provide children with the chance to explore a range of sports, helping them find their passion and stay active.
“This event is also a critical step in our mission to establish year-round, multisport opportunities in underserved communities, opening pathways for young people to grow into volunteers and community leaders.”
Hannah McAllister, CEO at Wales Golf
“It’s fantastic to stage the Gareth Bale Championship alongside the Festival of Sport to show the benefits that sport can bring to people and communities.
“We launched our ‘Give Golf a Go’ campaign earlier this year, ahead of the biggest female sporting event ever held in Wales – the AIG Women’s Open – to encourage more people to try golf.
“Having Gareth Bale lend his name and support to this championship gives us another opportunity to get young people excited about the game.”
