Rob McElhenney says he still wants Gareth Bale on Wrexham

Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney has confirmed the offer is still on the table for Gareth Bale. The American actor has helped bring a new era of success to the Welsh club. In the 2024/25 campaign, Wrexham will play in League One. It is the highest division Wrexham has played in since 2004/05. Interestingly, that was the first time the third division went by the moniker League One.

Gareth Bale has never played in a division that far down the pyramid, regardless of where he has played. His most recent stay was in Major League Soccer with Los Angeles FC. He won the MLS Cup in his lone season in MLS, but he hung up his boots after the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. Wrexham has been growing in popularity over the last three years since McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds took over.

The club targeting Bale would be a major scoop for its success, according to McElhenney.

“Gareth Bale is still technically available. I don’t know, I made the plea last year and I’m just going to tell Gareth that the offer’s still on the table,” McElhenney said. “We’ll let you off for golf, whenever you need to get off. As long as you come to training once or twice a week we can figure out how to get you 10 minutes on the pitch.”

Gareth Bale has made a knack for late drama, and his talent would be a welcome addition to Wrexham. At the age of 34, the Welshman would still be able to provide some form of talent, even if he does not have the durability that other younger players would have. Wrexham recently offloaded a handful of players due to roster regulations in League One. Bringing in Bale would revitalize the squad ahead of its return to the third division.

Can McElhenney bring Bale out of retirement for Wrexham?

Bale has had a fascinating career. Arguably the most talented player to come from Great Britain in history, Bale performed great in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur. Then, he broke the transfer record in 2013 when he moved from Spurs to Real Madrid. In Spain, Bale secured 15 major trophies. The biggest of those were an astounding five Champions League titles. His appearances dwindled as time went on as Real Madrid brought in some of the top youth talents in the world.

Even then, he made a difference when called upon. McElhenney saying Bale could, perhaps jokingly, get 10 minutes per game is more than enough time for him. With such a propensity to make substitute appearances with Real Madrid, he became the epitome of a super sub. That even extended to LAFC. He scored the game-tying goal in the MLS Cup Final in 2022 in the eighth minute of stoppage time in extra time.

Not only would Bale sell a massive number of tickets and shirts. He could be a difference-maker for Wrexham in its bid to get to the EFL Championship. If Wrexham can secure a third-straight promotion, it would be the club’s highest league showing in over 40 years. McElhenney will just want Bale to step away from the golf course to help that prospect.

“And the golf courses — Wales is amongst the most beautiful countries in the world.”

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