Gareth Bale has revealed that he feared bankruptcy at the end of his football career despite earning one of the most lucrative contracts in football history at Real Madrid.
The former Wales captain, who retired from football aged 33 in 2023, enjoyed a glittering career that included five Champions League titles, three La Liga crowns, and 111 caps for his country. At his peak, Bale was the world’s highest-paid player, earning £150million across a six-year contract signed with Real Madrid in 2016.
“There was one thing that always scared me inside,” Bale told Front Office Sports. “You read articles about when people finish professional sports, they go bankrupt. They don’t know how to manage their money, they don’t know how to do all these things.”
Bale added: “A lot of, I imagine, athletes live a big lavish lifestyle. I try not to do that. I always had one eye on what life would be like after football. When I finish, I stop getting the pay cheque. How do people then restructure their lives?”
Since retiring, Bale has focused on business ventures, including his Cardiff-based bars Elevens and Par 59, a Welsh distillery investment, and involvement in Tiger Woods’ TGL golf league. He has also worked as a TNT Sports pundit.
Bale recently confirmed he was part of a consortium that approached Cardiff City over a potential takeover, calling the idea a “dream come true.”