Gareth Bale says owning his hometown club Cardiff City would be a “dream come true” and has targeted leading them back into the Premier League.
The former Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur forward has confirmed he is part of a group aiming to buy Cardiff and is hopeful a deal can be agreed.
The Athletic reported on June 20 that Bale’s consortium made an initial approach to current Cardiff owner Vincent Tan. The offer was rejected, but Bale’s interest in purchasing the League One outfit remains strong.
“We are interested in getting Cardiff,” Bale told Sky Sports on Monday. “It’s my home club, it’s where I grew up and my uncle (Chris Pike) used to play for them. To be involved with an ownership group would be a dream come true.
“It’s a club close to my heart. It’s where I grew up and I would love to be able to be a part of growing Cardiff and taking it to the Premier League where it belongs.
“I know how amazing the Welsh fans and Cardiff fans are. It would be amazing to try and do something together.
“We are trying to engage with Cardiff and more news will come out on that in the future but hopefully we can get something done.”
The former Wales captain has also confirmed that he is not in the frame to take over Plymouth Argyle, contrary to reports.
Cardiff were competing in the Premier League as recently as 2019 but finished bottom of the Championship in the 2024-25 season, the 2008 FA Cup finalists now set to play third-tier football for the first time since 2003.
The possibility of a move to the Welsh capital was mooted for Bale upon his Real Madrid exit in 2022. The forward instead signed for MLS club Los Angeles FC and retired after representing his nation for the final time at the Qatar World Cup in 2022.
Should the move to buy Cardiff proceed, Bale would become the latest high-profile name to be involved with club ownership in British football. His former Real Madrid and Spurs team-mate Luka Modric became a co-owner of their south Wales rivals Swansea City earlier this month.
The takeover of Wrexham by Hollywood’s Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2021 has also seen more U.S. celebrities involve themselves with football clubs in recent years.
NFL legends JJ Watt and Tom Brady became minority owners of Burnley and Birmingham City respectively, while American golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas bought shares in Leeds United before their promotion to the Premier League in May.
Former Manchester City academy coach Brian Barry-Murphy will lead Cardiff into their 2025-26 League One campaign, succeeding Omer Riza who was sacked in April with three games of the season remaining.
Former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who inherited the captain’s armband for Wales following Bale’s retirement in January 2023, was appointed as the club’s interim head coach but could not save them from relegation.
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