Gareth Bale: Retirement, Net Worth & Zidane Feud

For a man who once graced the Bernabéu with 106 goals and five Champions League titles, Gareth Bale’s post-football life could easily have been a slide into obscurity. Instead, the Welsh winger has swapped the pitch for the fairway, invested in golf venues, and built a business empire that he claims already out-earns his playing salary.

Full name: Gareth Frank Bale · Date of birth: 16 July 1989 · Nationality: Welsh · Position: Right winger · Major clubs: Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, LAFC · Retirement year: 2023

The career statistics and personal data below provide a factual foundation for understanding Bale’s trajectory.

What is Gareth Bale doing now?

Post-retirement activities

• Bale retired from professional football in January 2023, stating that his business income already exceeded his playing salary (Goal.com (sports news)).
• He owns ‘Elevens Bar’, a sports bar in Cardiff city centre opened in 2019 (The Mirror (UK tabloid)).
• In 2022 he launched ‘Par 59’, a golf-themed entertainment venue on St Mary Street in Cardiff, and later a second location in Bristol (The Mirror).

Golf involvement

Bale is a minority shareholder in Penderyn Distillery, a Welsh whisky maker, but his biggest post-football passion is golf (TalkSport (sports radio)). He secured a stake in TGL, the tech-infused golf league co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy (The Mirror). He regularly participates in celebrity golf tournaments and has spoken about his love for the sport.

Business interests

• Bale maintains lucrative endorsement deals with BMW, Adidas, and PlayStation (The Mirror).
• In 2024 he joined an American consortium interested in acquiring Cardiff City Football Club, though the takeover did not materialise (TalkSport).

The pattern: Bale isn’t simply spending his Madrid millions; he is actively reinvesting in hospitality and golf, two industries with direct ties to his personal brand.

Why did Gareth Bale retire so early?

Physical factors

Bale’s later years at Real Madrid were plagued by recurring calf and hamstring injuries. According to Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia), he missed over 80 matches across his time at the club. The accumulated wear and tear made it increasingly difficult to train and compete at the elite level.

Motivational decline

In his own words, Bale told Goal.com that he “lost the motivation” to continue playing at the highest level. The financial security from years of high earnings allowed him to prioritise happiness over grind. He also expressed fear of following athletes who go bankrupt – a concern he called “terrifying” (TalkSport).

Focus on family and golf

Bale has said he wanted to spend more time with his wife Emma and their four children in Wales. Golf, his lifelong hobby, became a central part of his identity after football. The shift was not sudden – as early as 2019 he had opened his first golf venue, signalling a long-term transition.

Why this matters: Bale’s early exit from elite football is a rare case of a top-tier athlete choosing time and mental health over a final big contract. For younger players, it raises the question: what is the real price of two more seasons?

What is Gareth Bale’s net worth?

Estimated wealth

Multiple sources peg Bale’s net worth at approximately £120 million. At his peak with Real Madrid, he earned a staggering £600,000 per week (The Mirror (UK tabloid)). TalkSport reports that Bale admitted being “terrified” of bankruptcy, which motivated his careful money management.

Here is a breakdown of his primary income sources during and after his playing career.

Comparison to other footballers

Bale’s £120m net worth places him among the richest Welsh footballers ever, but he trails global stars like Lionel Messi (estimated $600m) and Cristiano Ronaldo (over $500m). Among retired players, his wealth is comparable to former teammate Karim Benzema. The key difference: Bale has actively diversified into physical businesses rather than purely financial assets.

The implication: Bale’s wealth is not just a pile of cash; it is a portfolio of income-generating assets that keep growing while he pursues golf.

Why did Zidane dislike Bale?

Manager-player relationship

Zinedine Zidane reportedly grew frustrated with Bale’s frequent injuries and lack of communication. According to The Mirror, Zidane often left Bale on the bench for key matches, leading to tension. Bale’s agent publicly criticised Zidane, and the relationship never recovered.

Playing style differences

Zidane valued fluid attacking football and players who could press and link play. Bale was a direct, counter-attacking winger who often stayed wide rather than drifting centrally. This tactical mismatch became a recurring point of friction, especially after Zidane’s return as manager in 2019.

Injury management conflicts

Bale’s preference for managing his own fitness – including travelling for treatment and, reportedly, playing golf during recovery periods – clashed with the club’s medical staff and Zidane’s expectations. Multiple accounts from TalkSport describe a breakdown in trust.

“I just wanted to play football and be left alone.”

— Gareth Bale, via Goal.com

The trade-off: For Real Madrid, the tension cost them a player who, when fit, could single-handedly win Champions League finals. For Bale, it cemented a reputation as an outsider that he has never tried to shake.

How much is Gareth Bale’s private jet?

Aircraft model

Bale owns a Cessna Citation Latitude, a mid-size business jet capable of carrying up to nine passengers. The model is popular among athletes for its range (approximately 2,850 nautical miles) and cabin comfort (TalkSport (sports radio)).

Estimated cost

The Cessna Citation Latitude has a new list price of around £15 million according to aviation databases, though Bale likely acquired it used or through a lease arrangement. The jet is used primarily for travel between his homes in Spain, Wales, and the United States.

Usage and maintenance

Annual operating costs for a jet of this size run roughly £1–1.5 million, covering fuel, crew, hangarage, and maintenance. For Bale, whose business interests span the UK and US, the jet is more a productivity tool than a luxury – though he has acknowledged the expense in interviews.

The paradox: The same jet that critics mocked as a symbol of Bale’s detachment from teammates is now a logistical necessity for a man running a multi-venue business empire.

Confirmed facts vs. what’s unclear

For wealth advisors working with high-net-worth athletes, Bale’s trajectory is a clear case study: convert peak earnings into physical assets (bars, golf venues, distilleries) that produce cash flow and personal satisfaction. The alternative – relying solely on savings and endorsement residuals – is the path Bale explicitly rejected. For the 34-year-old Welshman, the choice between one more season of Real Madrid pressure and a life of tee times, business meetings, and family time was never really a choice at all.