Resignation after World Cup in Qatar
Odd football star Gareth Bale becomes a golfer
01/24/2023 11:44 am
Shortly after leaving football, Gareth Bale devoted himself to his second great passion even more intensely than before. In Pebble Beach, the Welshman competes with the golf pros. The strange gentleman from Wales was only called “the golfer” at Real Madrid. It’s all so logical.
Gareth Bale didn’t take long to take his favorite hobby to the next level. At the beginning of February, almost exactly three weeks after leaving the soccer stage, the 33-year-old hit the tee on the US tour and measured himself against the pros on the golf course. The step is by no means surprising, the Welshman’s great passion for the little white ball was already a constant theme (for some annoying) during his career.
Gareth Bale has always been a passionate supporter of golf.
(Photo: picture alliance / ZUMAPRESS.com)
Late Monday evening, Bale sent the important message to the station. “I’m happy to announce that I’ll be playing at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am,” wrote his home country’s all-time cap on Instagram, finishing with, “Let’s go.”
Bale’s passion has always been a topic of conversation in football. “He thinks first of Wales national team, then golf and then Real Madrid,” said Predrag Mijatovic when he was manager at Bale’s Los Blancos. And what did the fans of the island do? Drafted a national flag on which was written “Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order.” The soccer star and his team-mates posed laughing with it after an international match.
“Golf, golf, golf!”
The tournament in California is certainly just a start. Amateur Bale plays alongside a pro, with a total of 156 such couples going to three different courses. Among others, US Open Champion Matt Fitzpatrick (England) and world number one Patrick Cantlay (USA) will be there. Bale, handicap -2, won the Champions League five times with Real. Appropriately, his internal nickname at the club was “The Golfer”. He could live with that. Bale announced the end of his career on January 9, having recently played for Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer (MLS) and won the championship.
It’s “a time of change and transition, an opportunity for a new adventure,” Bale said at the time. Apparently, golf plays an important role – as was to be expected. “Gaz it’s time to be with your family and get the handicap down,” former international team-mate Aaron Ramsey posted after Bale’s retirement. And Bale’s followers also reacted promptly to Monday’s announcement: “Golf. Golf. Golf. In this order,” it said under the post.