Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney has reiterated that the offer for Gareth Bale to come out of retirement “is still on the table.” Last summer, McElhenney and fellow owner Ryan Reynolds attempted to recruit the Wales legend following their promotion to League Two. Now, with the team advancing to League One, McElhenney, star of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, remains hopeful about the possibility of Wales’ all-time top scorer joining Wrexham. “Gareth Bale is still technically available! I made the plea last year, and I’m just going to tell Gareth that the offer is still on the table,” McElhenney told WalesOnline.
We’ll let him play golf whenever he wants. Just as long he comes training and we’ll figure out how to get him in the team.
Bale retired from football at 33, shortly after the 2022 World Cup, which marked Wales’ first World Cup appearance in 64 years. Bale played a crucial role in helping Rob Page’s team reach Qatar. Despite having the option to continue for another year with LAFC in the United States, he decided to retire in January 2023. McElhenney and Reynolds quickly tried to persuade the Welsh icon to reconsider his decision.
Following Wrexham’s promotion back to the Football League, the former Tottenham Hotspur star sent a congratulatory message to the club. In response, McElhenney humorously remarked, “I won’t spend four hours trying to convince you to un-retire for one last magical season.” Reynolds then escalated the plea by adding, “I will shave a professional-grade golf course into Rob’s back if you’ll give Wrexham a season.”
That saw Bale come out publicly to say he wouldn’t be coming out of retirement, with his agent Jonathan Barnett confirming later last year that he simply no longer has the desire or fitness to play again.
I think for him, it [retirement] was the right time,” Barnett told Sky Sports News. “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.”
