What Gareth Bale has said about a Cardiff City takeover - Will the Vincent Tan era end? | OneFootball

Gareth Bale has spoken about life after football after a failed Cardiff City takeover bid earlier this summer.

2025 has been a whirlwind year for Cardiff City.

The Bluebirds were relegated from the Championship at the end of the 2024/25 season, meaning they would play third-tier football for the first time since 2003.

Naturally, owner Vincent Tan came under fire over the summer, as the club failed to bring in a new manager until the appointment of Brian Barry-Murphy in mid-June.

A proposed takeover was also rejected, with a group led by Welsh footballing legend Gareth Bale interested in purchasing the club.

Since retiring from professional football in 2023, the ex-Real Madrid, Tottenham, and Southampton man has been working as a pundit, and recently highlighted the importance of financial management at the top level of the game, outlining his own financial concerns during his playing days.

He also went on to express his desire to take over in the Welsh capital, describing Cardiff as a club "that's been on the decline for a few years now".

Gareth Bale speaks on football finance

Despite Bale being estimated to have a total net worth of around £120 million, he still carried fears of potential bankruptcy throughout his career. He outlined that he made sure to prepare for life after hanging up his boots so he wouldn't lose his earnings.

"There was one thing that always scared me inside," Bale told Front Office Sports. "You read articles about when people finish professional sports, they go bankrupt. They don't know how to manage their money, they don't know how to do all these things.

"A lot of, I imagine, athletes live a big lavish lifestyle. I try not to do that. I always had one eye on what life would be like after football. When I finish, I stop getting the pay cheque. How do people then restructure their lives?"

After excelling in the Premier League for Tottenham, Bale made the biggest move of his career - moving to Real Madrid for £86 million. And despite all of his success, including five Champions League titles, the Welshman always kept an eye on life away from the game: "I was always trying to diversify from quite early on. I always had this pillar idea where I would try and invest money in different things. If one pillar got chopped down and didn't work, the whole building is not going to fall down."

Gareth Bale imagined Cardiff City as one of his "pillars"

Despite being Cardiff-born and bred, Bale never played for the Bluebirds during his illustrious career. Though following the club's relegation to the third-tier earlier this year, it was confirmed that he was part of a group interested in purchasing the club.

Despite the failed bid, Bale said: "If something were to happen with a football club, I would definitely be interested and would love to explore it.

"I suggested about my home team, it's one that's been on the decline for a few years now and has such massive potential. We are looking forward to the response. We would love to get ownership of it and take the club back to where it belongs."

Cardiff City won't be involved in the city's sporting revolution

For now, the Vincent Tan era is set to continue. This isn't the worst outcome for the club, with the Bluebirds vying for promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking. Though a huge takeover involving a local Welsh legend would be an idea that supporters would get behind instantly.

Alongside the interest in the Bluebirds this year, a consortium of Hollywood producers have launched a bid to purchase Cardiff Rugby, promising a big revival for the club - alongside a huge TV project.

Producer of hit Netflix series Ozark, Mark Williams, is involved in the consortium, alongside Niels Juul, Gareth West. Martyn Ryan and Reg Clark, with a deal also including a scripted TV series of the rugby outfit.

With a plan in place to put Cardiff Rugby back on the map, it comes as a surprise that plans to propel the footballing half of the city have not come to fruition.

Cardiff have been starved of major footballing success since they won the FA Cup in 1927, with the Bluebirds being the only non-English club to lift the trophy. The club looks to be on the up again after a bright start to life in League One, though the question remains as to how high the club can strive to reach.

The Welsh capital should ideally have a top-flight football club - further investment could propel Cardiff there. A group with Bale, someone who understands not just the game, but the city itself, could be hugely beneficial for the club.