Bale confesses: “I was naive at Real Madrid: being a Galáctico is very tough”

Gareth Bale’s life took a sharp turn after hanging up his boots. The Welsh star officially retired following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, closing the chapter on a career that spanned Southampton Tottenham, Real Madrid, and Cardiff City—clubs he still calls himself a fan of. Since then, Bale has stepped into broadcasting, contributing to sports coverage while reflecting on his journey in an interview with GQ Magazine.

Talking about his time at Real Madrid, Bale admitted the challenges of playing for the Spanish giants.

“Obviously a lot of players go to Madrid to be a Galáctico but I went there to play football, so what I achieved as a Welsh player on the pitch abroad was actually incredible. I was always winning big moments. The other stuff, though…

I was probably guilty of not defending myself and in some ways I was slightly naive, that is probably the correct word, about going to Madrid and not knowing the severity [of being a Galáctico],” Bale told GQ.

Gareth Bale’s media image and the reality

He also addressed the media’s role in shaping a false image of him. “I actually never used to play golf that much. But because people believe what they read, they created a character that I’m not. I just don’t think the Spanish media know who I am. Maybe it’s down to me that I never let them know but I didn’t let anyone in, which is what I [wanted].” he said, adding that his decision not to defend himself may have fueled the narrative. “I was very much: my football and my life are two separate things. I would never change that.”

Bale recalled being just 16 at Southampton when a harsh article shook him, an experience that later pushed him away from social media. “For the large part, I always kept myself well away from it. I never controlled my social media because you could have 100 posts, 99 are amazing and there’s one bad one you will fixate on,” he explained.

Image has a lot to do with winning the Ballon d’Or

After Qatar 2022, Bale felt he had nothing left to prove. “There’s still things I wish had gone differently but the world’s not perfect. Wales winning the World Cup would’ve been a dream. I always like to think back to when I was a kid, what did I actually want to do as a footballer. If you had offered me [my] career when I was 13, I would never have believed you in a million years. A kid from Cardiff who comes from a normal family, to go on and do what I did. I achieved so much in my career so playing in a World Cup was pretty much the last thing that I wanted to achieve. It didn’t go amazingly well for us, but it was the first time in 64 years. After that, I didn’t feel like I had anything else left to achieve, goal-wise.”

Though he began as a left-back, Bale rose to become one of the world’s best forwards, even competing for the Ballon d’Or. Yet he believes the award is about more than just performance. “There’s a lot more to it than a performance on a pitch. It goes with an image so the media will definitely have favorites – it’s not just [about] football. I wish it was, but it’s not. I don’t think anybody would deny that.,” he said.

That infamous slogan

Bale insisted he never had issues with teammates, despite rumors about tension with Cristiano Ronaldo. “We never had an issue, never had an argument, never had a fight, never had anything,” he clarified.

His reputation at Madrid took a hit when golf became part of his public image, especially after his Wales teammates famously waved a flag reading: “Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order.” Bale says the reality was far different.

“That slogan is the one thing I felt hard done by. For one thing, no one knew how much golf I actually played,” he says. "I played once every two to three weeks, but only on a day off. I’d never play a game for eight hours, I was always very professional about it. But people don’t know that so they make up that slogan.”

Family, top of the list

Now, Bale’s priorities have shifted. “Our kids, our life, our marriage, our family, our friends, these things are most important. The things you were so worried about in football I now look back and laugh at it but at the time you get anxious, you get nervous, you don’t enjoy it. Now, I would put family first. Probably golf second. Then health,” he concludes.

Though he no longer feels like a soccer player, Bale remains connected to the game—watching his son play, supporting his daughter in horseback riding, and working as a contributor for TNT Sports and CBS Sports Golazo.