soccer

Gareth Bale to Wrexham? Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney Make Pitch to Retired Star

The former Real Madrid and Tottenham star is drawing interest from two American actors

Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as Wrexham celebrate promotion back to the English Football League during the Vanarama National League match between Wrexham and Boreham Wood at Racecourse Ground on April 22, 2023 in Wrexham, Wales.
Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are making an audacious — and very public — bid to entice Gareth Bale out of retirement to play a season at Wrexham.

Bale, a Wales great who retired after the World Cup at age 33, offered his congratulations to Wrexham’s celebrity owners following the team’s promotion to the fourth tier of English soccer at the weekend.

In a response to Bale’s video message, McElhenney wrote on Twitter: “Hey Gareth Bale let’s play golf, where I totally won’t spend 4 hours trying to convince you to un-retire for one last magical season.”

Bale, a passionate golfer in his spare time, replied “Depends what course...” He also tagged in the R&A, which organizes the British Open from its base at the home of golf in St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reynolds weighed in on Wednesday, tweeting: “I will shave a professional-grade golf course into Rob’s back if you’ll give Wrexham a season.”

The pursuit of Bale looks a long shot, given he is three months into retirement, has never played at such a low level in soccer and would likely command a massive salary. He also was born in Cardiff in south Wales, whereas Wrexham is based in the north of the principality.

McElhenney and Reynolds are dreamers, though. Just look at what they are doing at Wrexham, a club on its knees before the 2021 takeover of the A-listers.

The owners were in tears after Wrexham beat Boreham Wood 3-1 on Saturday to clinch automatic promotion from the National League.

Here are five things to know about Welsh soccer star Gareth Bale.
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