Welsh Soccer Team Manager Reveals Why Their Captain Gareth Bale Has Been Banned From Playing Golf During 2022 FIFA World Cup

Soccer superstar Gareth Bale has been debarred from playing golf during the upcoming FIFA World Cup. The decision was vaguely discussed by Wales national soccer team manager, Rob Paige. Bale is an avid golfer and has often been documented for his love for the game.

Gareth Bale’s golf pastime put to a halt

While Bale has been a thorough professional with his commitments to soccer, his golfing habits have often been viewed as troublesome. While manager Rob Paige acknowledges his captain’s hobby and embraces it, the 48-year-old has no intention of letting him touch his golf clubs once they halt in Qatar.

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“There’s no golf. We’re out there to do a job,” Paige said regarding their World Cup aspirations.
Additionally, he cited how other experienced players were also disallowed from playing golf, which was a break from the regimen.

“In the past, I may get Gareth, Kieffer Moore, or Aaron Ramsey come up to me and say, ‘What’s the plan for tomorrow afternoon? Are there meetings?’ I’d say, ‘No, there’s no meetings, so if you want nine holes then go and play,” Paige said.

“But that is when you have a week building up to a doubleheader. Out there, we won’t have enough time. Every four days there is a game. It’s relentless.”

Is Gareth Bale good at golf?

The Welsh soccer captain and leader is a golf enthusiast, which has irked a number of fans in the past. He is one of the many investors in the fast-rising TMRW Sports. Bale once disclosed his handicap as “a respectable six” in 2015. Furthermore, when asked about the same aspect five years later, the 33-year-old revealed he played off a handicap of 3 or 4.

Certainly, his golf antics during his successful days in Madrid bore fruit, but also became a source of backlash. He joined the Spanish club Real Madrid in 2013 as the world’s most expensive player, breaking Portuguese superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer fee.

Bale was instrumental for the club, securing 19 major trophies in an eventful nine-year spell. The achievements included five Champions League trophies and three Spanish first-division titles. His iconic performances in finals, particularly his acrobatic goal at the 2018 UCL final against English side Liverpool, have engraved him in the club’s regal fable.

However, his time at the club was also plagued with injuries. His obsession with golf didn’t help either, especially against the raucous and passionate club supporters. He once came under fire for opting to play golf in Germany while his team competed in preseason friendlies.

His successive and prolonged injuries have spread a wild rumor that his time on the golf course has made him vulnerable. Yet Bale has been untroubled with the matter. He once appeared with a banner that read, ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order.’ when his country qualified for Euro 2020.

He has even built replicas of three famous holes in his backyard, with one resembling the 17th at TPC Sawgrass. His professionalism has also allowed for a bit of leeway, which was evident when English side Tottenham Hotspur laid a short game area at their practice facility for him during his loan spell in the 2020-21 season.

Unfortunately though, the soccer star won’t be taking his golf clubs to Qatar as he heads into his country’s first-ever World Cup since 1958. With age not by his side, Bale would look to head into the quadrennial event with his sole focus on soccer.