Pep Guardiola has jokingly predicted that after Gareth Bale’s unexpected departure from football, he will “become a fantastic golf player.”
The legendary Welsh player, who led his nation to its first World Cup in 64 years and won five Champions League championships, announced his retirement on Monday.
Since then, tributes have flooded in for the 33-year-old, who in his illustrious career played for Southampton, Tottenham, Los Angeles FC, and most notably Real Madrid.
Bale’s thoughts are currently on his post-football existence, while Guardiola is getting his Manchester City team ready for their League Cup quarterfinal match against Southampton on Wednesday night.
He was initially questioned about whether he ever came close to signing the player during Tuesday’s press conference.
“Too expensive,” joked Pep.
“What a player. Fantastic career, won a lot of things, and I think he represented Wales and won more than 100 caps – and now he will become a fantastic golf player.”
One reporter questioned whether Guardiola’s open invitation to Bale for 18 holes from years ago still existed. “He was busy (first time around). But now maybe he has time, I will invite him again.”
Bale has never hidden his affection for fairways, and once memorably risked Madrid’s wrath by waving a flag that read “Golf. Wales. Madrid, in that order”, after aiding his nation’s qualification for Euro 2020.
Fans have been wondering if Greg Norman will soon introduce him on the LIV Golf tour, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, as a result of events this week.
@Charlienicko11 shared a tweet that read: “Such a shame that Gareth Bale has retired from domestic and international football. On the upside he’s the first new signing in 2023 by Greg Norman on the LIV Tour. Golf / Shotguns / Exhibitions (in that order).”
@JackWFarrell wrote: “What are the odds we see Gareth Bale playing with LIV golf in the next year? Special celebrity category, one per team…” while @Joe_Hugill tagged the official Paddy Power account when writing: “Could you give me a price on Gareth Bale to join LIV golf in 2023? #WhatOddsPaddy”
A recreation of one of Bale’s favorite holes, the 17th “island green” at TPC at Sawgrass, can be found in his backyard.
Given their prior efforts to recruit international sports players like Michael Jordan in the rebel endeavor, a proposal from LIV may not be out of the question.
Pep Guardiola
Josep “Pep” Guardiola Sala, a professional football manager and former player from Spain, was born on January 18, 1971. He now serves as the manager of Premier League team Manchester City.
He owns the records for the most consecutive league games won in La Liga, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League, and is regarded as one of the best managers of all time.
Gareth Bale
Gareth Frank Bale MBE, a Welsh former professional football player best known for his winger work with Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid, was born on July 16, 1989.
He is recognized as one of the finest Welsh footballers of all time as well as one of the best players of his generation.
Golf enthusiast Bale has an exact copy of the island green on the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass in his backyard.
The impression that Bale was more engaged in his hobby than football during his final years at Real Madrid led to some controversy over his golfing.
El Confidencial claimed that Bale’s back issues were made worse by playing golf, which is why he missed so much time due to injury.
Bale frequently mocked this reputation; for example, after Wales qualified for the Euro 2020 tournament, he celebrated in front of a Welsh flag bearing the phrase “Golf, Wales, and Madrid, in that order”.
