Gareth Bale Rejects Offer to Join Wrexham from Owners Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney

Wrexham are having an excellent season, having won the National League and earning promotion to the English Football League (EFL), the fourth tier of English football.

But not quite excellent enough to entice Gareth Bale to end his retirement and join the club, despite the pleas from team owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

"No, I don't think so. I think I was looking more for a free round of golf off Rob," he said at the FEVO Sport Industry Awards 2023, per ESPN. "I'm sure we'll have a chat and a joke but, I'm quite happy where I am—spending a lot of time with my kids, my wife, time that I've lost so much of over the years being committed to football. I'm just enjoying family life and playing some golf."

Both McElhenney and Reynolds made a plea to Bale on social media to join the club:

But Bale won't be joining Wrexham as it continues its ascension up England's tiered league system. Reynolds and McElhenney have turned their ownership of the club into a show on FX, have brought in countless sponsors and made Wrexham popular outside of England, infusing the club with cash.

But as of now, they aren't landing Bale, who spent his club career playing in England's top flight, the Premier League, with both Southampton and Tottenham. He also spent time in Spain's La Liga for the iconic Real Madrid and most recently played for Major League Soccer's Los Angeles FC in the 2022-23 season.