Gareth Bale, a Real Madrid legend, is estimated to have a net worth of £120 million yet has expressed genuine insolvency fears.
Gareth Bale has spoken up about his true worries of bankruptcy, despite earning millions from a stellar playing career.
Bale was once the most expensive and highest-paid player in global football when he joined Real Madrid from Tottenham in 2013.
The £85.1 million transfer exceeded Real Madrid’s big deal for Cristiano Ronaldo, and the Welshman is thought to have earned just shy of £200 million during his sparkling nine-year spell with Los Blancos.
Southampton Academy Product Bale, who scored in two Champions League finals, also had a lucrative partnership with Adidas.
Despite being well off and appearing to be financially secure, the two-time PFA Player of the Year has previously expressed concerns about becoming bankrupt at the end of his career.
Aware of several high-profile players who did the same after not knowing how to manage their money, he made a concerted effort to live simply and focus on what would happen after retirement.
“There was one thing that always scared me inside,” Bale confessed during an appearance on Front Office Sports.
“You’ve read articles about people going bankrupt after retiring from professional sports.”
“They have no idea how to handle their money or how to accomplish any of these things.
“I imagine that many athletes live lavishly. I try not to do this. I was always curious about life beyond football.
“When I finish, I stop receiving my salary cheque. How do people rearrange their lives?
“So I was always attempting to diversify from an early age. I’ve always had this pillar concept of investing my money in many things.
“If one pillar got chopped down and didn’t work, the whole building is not going to fall down.”
Bale completed his career with LAFC in the MLS after captaining the 2022 World Cup and is estimated to have a net worth of £120 million, according to Wales Online.
The five-time Champions League winner has worked as a pundit for DAZN and TNT Sports, and he owns Elevens Bar and Par 59 in Cardiff, as well as investing in Tiger Woods’ TGL golf league.
Bale aspires to become a football owner.
However, he has been linked with another dramatic venture: a possible ownership of Cardiff City.
Vincent Tan continues to control the Bluebirds, which were relegated to League One from the Championship last season.
Ahead of the season, Bale led a consortium that bid for Cardiff, but the deal was rejected. However, Bale remains hopeful that a solution will be reached in the near future.
“I suggested my home team,” he said.
“It’s been on the decline for a few years now, but as a one-city club, it has huge potential.
“We are looking forward to the response, we would love to get ownership of it and take the club back to where we think it belongs.”
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