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Former Real Madrid star Gareth Bale has put an end to speculation by declining an offer to come out of retirement and join recently promoted Wrexham. Club co-owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds were hoping to convince the Welsh football icon to don the Red Dragons' jersey for one season.
Wrexham's promotion to the Football League on Saturday had Reynolds and McElhenney celebrating with the team and fans. Bale sent a congratulatory message to the club, which prompted McElhenney to playfully suggest the idea of Bale un-retiring for a 'magical season' at Wrexham.
In his message to McElhenney, Bale had said (via TalkSPORT):
“Hi Rob, just want to congratulate you on your promotion and everything you’re doing at Wrexham.”
The actor responded with a tongue-in-cheek tweet:
“Hey Gareth Bale let’s play golf, where I totally won’t spend 4 hours trying to convince you to un-retire for one last magical season.”
Reynolds, equally enthusiastic about the prospect, shared a photoshopped image of Bale wearing a Wrexham shirt on social media, captioning it with a tantalising "What if..."
However, Bale, who retired from professional football in January after leading Wales at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, has no plans to return to the pitch. When asked by sports presenter Laura Woods if he would consider playing for Wrexham, he replied:
“No I don’t think so. I think I was looking more for a free round of golf off Rob."
The former Real Madrid star went on to express contentment with his current life (via TalkSPORT):
"I’m sure we’ll have a chat and a joke, but I’m quite happy where I am. I’m spending a lot of time with my kids, my wife, time that I’ve lost so much over the years being committed to football. I’m just enjoying family life and playing some golf.”
Real Madrid aim to rebound against Almeria after Girona loss
Gareth Bale's former club Real Madrid are set to face off against UD Almeria as they seek to recover from the crushing 4-2 defeat they endured against Girona earlier this week. The La Liga champions' hopes of defending their title have taken a significant hit, but they have crucial games in other competitions on the horizon.
On the eve of the Almeria clash, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti discussed the challenges his squad faces in the wake of their recent setback. Reflecting on the upcoming game, Ancelotti said (via Madrid Universal):
“It’s the same difficulty as it is against teams that are playing for things. It’s a demanding game and even more so for us because we weren’t good in Girona.”
Real Madrid play Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final (May 6) and Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League semifinals (May 9 and May 17) next month.
