Gareth Bale

For years, football dictated everything. His performances were analysed, his fitness monitored and his setbacks discussed in public. At Real Madrid, he operated inside one of the most demanding and intensely scrutinised environments in sport. With Wales, he carried the expectations of a country through the greatest period in its footballing history.

Three years into retirement, that urgency has gone.

“I obviously have a lot less pressure now in terms of having to perform week in, week out in front of a global audience,” he says. “It’s nice to get a bit of respite from that.”

“I’m enjoying spending more time with my kids and with my wife. Just being a dad, being a husband and doing very simple things that maybe I wasn’t able to do before.”

He talks about watching his son play football at the weekend, taking his daughters to school and spending time at home once the morning rush is over.

“You kind of take those things for granted when you’re playing, trying to recover, getting ready for games and travelling,” he says. “Now, it’s nice to be at home, be a dad, be a great husband and enjoy family life. I felt like I did miss a lot in terms of birthday parties, taking them to school and just going to the park. It was important for me that, when I did finish, I was able to spend quality time with them and be a dad, rather than being a bit absent because of my career.”

His wife, Emma, provided stability at home throughout his career.

“She was amazing throughout my career, supporting everything I did, and was really the rock at home,” he says. “She kind of did everything, so I’m able to help a little bit more at home now.”

Away from football, Gareth remained a private figure, offering relatively little of himself beyond the pitch.

“I think it’s the way I always wanted it,” he says. “I was very quiet, liked to be at home with the family and just wanted to go and play football and come home. I guess I’m a little bit of a mystery, but no, I’m just a typical, ordinary guy who’s a bit boring, is very easily satisfied and is just enjoying life.”

Southampton revealed the talent. Tottenham Hotspur turned him into one of the most devastating attacking players in Europe. Real Madrid placed him at the centre of football’s biggest stage, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, in a team that would come to define an era. There were league titles, five Champions League trophies and goals that became part of the competition’s history, none more so than his overhead kick against Liverpool in the 2018 final.

Yet the road there was not as inevitable as his talent later made it appear. As a young player, Gareth suffered back problems and temporarily lost the speed that would become one of his greatest weapons. He had only a small window to prove himself worthy of a scholarship.

“It wasn’t handed to me on a plate,” he says. “I had issues with my back when I was a kid. I lost my speed and had to overcome some things. I had a couple of games to prove myself and get a scholarship. I was maybe the underdog and people weren’t always 100% sure about me, so I always felt like I had to keep proving myself. Everybody’s journey isn’t the same. Somebody can go straight to the top, while other people take time. Other people have to go backwards to go forwards. I feel like I was just a normal, regular boy from Cardiff. If I can do it, then I think it’s possible for anyone to do it.”

That connection to home was expressed most powerfully through Wales. When Gareth began his international career, the national team sat far outside football’s leading nations. By 2016, Wales had reached the semi-finals of the European Championship. Six years later, they qualified for their first World Cup since 1958.

“From where we started, we were around 119th in the world and got to number seven,” he says. “The journey we went on through Euro 2016, qualifying for that tournament for the first time, qualifying for a World Cup, making football even bigger in Wales and inspiring a new generation has all been incredibly rewarding.”

Only now has Gareth been able to look back without immediately needing to move forwards.

“Since I retired, I’m able to look back and reminisce on the things that happened,” he says. “It’s been cool to do that.”

He remains reluctant to define his own place in football history. Asked about being discussed alongside figures such as George Best and Bobby Charlton as one of Britain’s finest ever players, he is quick to deflect the comparison.

“I’m flattered, but I always think it’s for other people to make those opinions, never me to do that myself,” he says. “If you had said to me before I started becoming a professional footballer that this was what I was going to do, I probably would never have believed you. To have done what I achieved is amazing. Now I’m able to look back, enjoy it and reminisce on some good memories.”

Golf has remained a constant, though it was never simply a post-retirement distraction. Throughout his playing career, it offered a rare place where football could recede into the background.

“It was a place I could go to get away from the pressures of football, switch off and just be with some friends,” he says. “Even if I was on my own, I could just hit some balls and decompress. Having golf as a hobby gives me something to focus on as well. I enjoy practising, I enjoy playing and I enjoy playing in some competitions to keep that competitiveness inside me.”

Gareth is now a scratch golfer and has appeared in high-profile pro-am events alongside some of the game’s leading players, including Rory McIlroy.

“It’s cool to be up close and see how good they are and how well they strike it,” he says. “Even just watching them inside the ropes, under that pressure, they’re still in their zone and following their process. Seeing how they hit those shots under that pressure is really cool to watch.”

He has worked with the R&A and Wales Golf, appeared at commercial events and used his platform to encourage more people into the sport.

“I try not to do too much because you don’t want to be in everyone’s face too much, but obviously everybody associates me with golf now,” he says. “We’re also doing some commercial activities inside golf and trying to promote golf through the R&A, Wales Golf, and my festival of sport. There have been some nice and rewarding things to do inside golf.”

For now, there is television work, commercial activity, travel, family life and time spent exploring ideas without feeling obliged to commit to any one of them.

“I’m doing quite a few things and I think, eventually, I’ll find that one thing I really like and probably put a bit more time into it,” he says. “For the time being, I’m trying quite a variety of things and enjoying doing them.”

Club ownership is one possibility, although Gareth is clear that the right opportunity would need to involve more than simply acquiring a stake or adding his name to a project.

“I wouldn’t want to just go anywhere,” he says. “It would have to fit with what I felt and be something that I felt passionate about. I know football from a player’s perspective. You see what happens in the boardroom and what goes on around the club, but knowing what structure it needs to build from the ground up, in terms of academies and things like that, is all quite interesting. It feels a bit like Football Manager in real life.”

Since that conversation, one of those ideas has become considerably more concrete.

In June 2026, Gareth partnered with Juggernaut Capital Partners to launch Juggernaut Diversified Sports, a dedicated investment platform focused on opportunities across the global sports industry. Its remit stretches from teams and leagues to international football clubs, women’s sport, youth sport and athlete development, with a particular focus on North America and Europe.

It marks a significant step into the business of sport for Gareth, but one that feels consistent with the way he spoke about his future. Rather than simply attaching his name to a club or project, the platform is designed to combine Juggernaut’s investment and operating experience with Gareth’s understanding of athletes, teams, supporters and the communities built around them.

“Since retiring, I’ve had a few opportunities come my way, but this is the one that felt right,” he says. “I’ve spent a lot of time with John Shulman and the Juggernaut team, and what stood out to me is that they understand sport in a way that goes beyond just investment. They see the people, the communities and the culture behind it, which is exactly how I’ve always looked at the game. Sport has shaped my life, and this fund gives me the chance to stay connected to it in a meaningful way while helping build businesses and opportunities that can last.”

For a player whose own career was defined by being part of successful teams, there is a certain symmetry to the move. After spending several years enjoying the freedom that retirement brought, Gareth is beginning to find ways of taking the experience gathered across two decades at the highest level and applying it to what comes next.

“I always said I wanted a couple of years after retirement to just enjoy myself, which I have, but I’m still enjoying what I’m doing now,” he says.

“I’m in no rush to change anything …”

Asked what comes next, Gareth’s answer is characteristically understated.

“A bit of TV work, a bit of commercial activity, plenty of golf and plenty of time with the family. I feel like we’re in a good moment. I just want to continue to enjoy what’s going on.”