Football news - Gareth Bale 'setting up things to do' in retirement

Published 28/10/2019 at 12:42 GMT

Gareth Bale has already started to prepare for life after football with a range of investments - but also insists he still has plenty to give on the pitch.

Gareth Bale fehlt Real gegen Galatasaray in der Champions League

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Bale is currently still training apart from the Real Madrid squad as he recovers from an injury suffered while on international duty with Wales a fortnight ago.

The 30-year-old has a long history of muscular injuries but does not want to give the impression he is on the verge of retirement, even though he did admit in an interview that he is starting to get ready for it.

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"I haven't thought about retirement too much, but I'm 30 and you have to turn your attention to it," Bale told the Telegraph.

"I'm trying to set things up so I have things to do, rather than just sitting on my sofa."

He also admitted that football has become less of a passion than when he first started playing professionally.

"When you're 18, it's something you dreamed of, but when you've been doing it for a long time it wears off," Bale added.

"I still enjoy it but the higher the level, the enjoyment is less.

"I suppose [when you're young], you don't understand the negativity that can come with it."

Bale has been repeatedly linked with a move away from Madrid, a city he moved to six years ago in an £85million transfer from Tottenham.

The 30-year-old is said to have struggled to integrate into the Real dressing room and has been nicknamed "The Golfer" because of how much time he spends playing.

"I'd rather no one recognised me," Bale said.

"[I'll] stay on a golf course!"

But Bale is also keen to be involved in the business world and is a co-founder and investor in London start-up Rowbots, a fitness programme built around a rowing machine.

"I haven't actually been to the gym and sat in the class yet, but I've done the workouts," Bale added.

"It's basically your normal workout, but full-body.

"Cycling just uses your legs, but with rowing, you work on not just your legs but your arms.

"I'm not sure if you've been rowing, but it works more than just one muscle group."

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