Gareth Bale's BRUTAL reason for rejecting Ryan Reynolds and Wrexham

Stuart Telford

• 11 May 2023 12:33 BST
• 3 min read

Gareth Bale has been publicly courted by Ryan Reynolds and Wrexham, but the Wales legend won't be coming out of retirement to play for them.

Bale called time on what was a glittering career in January, after playing for Wales at the winter World Cup in Qatar, and his since split his time between family and golf.

A five-time Champions League winner with Madrid, Bale to Wrexham would have been a fairytale story, the Welsh club having won promotion back into professional football this season under the ownership of Reynolds and his Hollywood friend Rob McElhenney.

READ: Gareth Bale to Wrexham? Ryan Reynolds drops ANOTHER transfer hint

But Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett has shot down any such speculation.

What did Bale's agent say?

"I think for him, [retirement] was the right time," he told Sky Sports. "He's achieved everything he wanted to achieve - he played for Wales at the highest level of the World Cup, which is what he really wanted to do.

"And I think he knew his body wasn't up to it anymore. He's had a hard time with his body the last few years.

"He's had a great career. He's enjoyed himself, but he is having a great life now. He is with his family, which is the most important thing. He's spending a lot of time with his children and that's what he wants to do. Yes, he'll do other things, obviously later down the line, but at the moment, let him just enjoy himself."

READ: Gareth Bale was worth €100m to Real Madrid - here are five moments that prove it

Bale had a highest ETV of €74.6 million per FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm at the peak of his career, scored three Champions League final goals and is widely regarded as the greatest Welsh player of all time.

He emerged as a world class winger with Tottenham Hotspur having been a left-back with Southampton, and returned to Spurs on loan from Madrid for a season before winding down his career with LA Galaxy.