Welsh star Gareth Bale made another major announcement after ending his illustrious career, saying that he is ready to make his professional debut in golf in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which has a major prize award of $9 million (£7.3m).
Bale will compete against 156 pro golfers in this tournament, including some of the biggest names in the sport like US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick, Jordan Spieth and Luke Donald. The tournament is slated to take place from February 2-5, and 156 amateurs will also take part in the event.
Many famous footballers have taken up another sport professionally after calling time on their careers. Some big names include Paolo Maldini (Tennis), and Petr Cech (Ice Hockey), but Bale and his fascination (and love) for golf, made him a disliked figure at his former club Real Madrid for a period of time... Because of a particular reason.
Back in 2019, Bale created a furore when he celebrated his country’s Euro 2020 qualification with a flag that read, ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid… In that order’.
Spanish publication Marca fumed over the issue, going with a front page lead with, ‘Disrespectful. Wrong. Ungrateful. In that order.’
Bale — a European champion with Madrid five time, including the last edition in 2022 — was once the world’s most expensive player when he joined Real Madrid for $132 million in 2013. He finished his club career at Los Angeles FC, winning the Major League Soccer title for his side.
The former Wales captain also guided his team to their first World Cup in 64 years, and scored in the group stage in Qatar — a penalty against the United States. His last match for the country was a 3-0 loss to England.
Prior to shining with Real Madrid, Bale scored 53 Premier League goals and 81 in La Liga. He won three Spanish league titles, one Copa del Rey and one English League Cup title.
