Former Tottenham Hotspur star Gareth Bale expressed his aspirations of becoming a professional golfer during his loan spell at the North London side.
Speaking on The Tottenham Way Podcast, journalist Dan Kilpatrick revealed that Bale talked about his desire to take on golfing full-time, with his footballing career on the decline at that time.
“I remember when Bale was at Spurs, he was sort of harbouring ambitions and he was telling people that he wanted to have a crack at being a pro golfer. I remember hearing that and thinking I was onto the story of a lifetime, but it hasn’t quite worked out.”
Tottenham signed Bale from Southampton in the summer of 2007 and initially played as a left-back for the North London side. However, the Welshman’s attacking nous was evident for everyone to see and he soon transitioned into a deadly winger.
Subsequently, after posting impressive numbers in the Premier League, Real Madrid came calling in the summer of 2013 and signed Bale for over £85 million.
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Gareth Bale had his eye on a career in pro golf
Unfortunately, despite winning five Champions League titles with the La Liga giants, the 34-year-old never truly seemed to convince the public in the Spanish capital and was criticised by some for focusing on golf more than Madrid, which gave birth to the now-famous ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid.‘ flag.
Nevertheless, Bale will go down in history as one of the best players to have played for the Lilywhites, scoring 72 goals and providing 58 assists in 237 appearances in all competitions for Spurs during his playing career (TransferMarkt).
In 2022, Bale had one last hurrah with Los Angeles in the MLS before hanging up his boots. Since then, the former Tottenham star has been involved in the golf world and recently won a Ryder Cup celebrity all-star game in Rome.
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Football and golf are two entirely different sports and while Bale has thrived with the ball at his feet, it is no guarantee that the 34-year-old will be able to find the same success with his golf clubs.
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