It has been revealed that former Real Madrid star Gareth Bale is part of a consortium that had a bid to take control of Cardiff City rejected, as reported by Wales Online.
The approach is believed to have happened back in May as Cardiff City were relegated to League One.
‘Everything Has A Price’
Current owner Vincent Tan has reportedly ploughed around £250 million of his personal wealth into the Bluebirds and he now finds himself at the helm of a club in League One as opposed to the Premier League.
The bad news continues to grow for Tan as the club is steeped in debt and faces proceedings in France concerning the awful events involving Emiliano Sala.
Last month, the club’s chairman Mehmet Dalman claimed that Tan is still fully committed to Cardiff City but that ‘everything is for sale for the right price’.
Dalman said:
“He has injected a substantial amount of funds in the club. In his statement, it was clear to me he wants to bounce back. On the other hand, he has always said ‘Everything is for sale at the right price – except for family.’”
“As far as I am concerned, and I am having this discussion after a dialogue with him, I don’t see anything else but his commitment to make sure we bounce back.”
It is now believed that Dalman’s comments came at the time of the Bale-led consortium’s approach. At present, it is not known whether the group will make a further attempt to purchase the club.
Personal Implications Of Owning A Football Club
Gareth Bale was rumoured to be earning £600,000 a week at Real Madrid, where he won five Champions League crowns, and has a net worth of around £120 million.
A staggering sum, however well and truly dwarfed by Vincent Tan, who is said to be worth around £580 million.
Incredibly, Tan was listed as having a personal wealth of over £1.1 billion back in 2010, a loss of £600 million in 15 years. Of course, we can’t accurately attribute all of that loss to owning Cardiff City but it does play into the phrase, ‘How do you become a millionaire? Be a billionaire and then buy a football club.’
Bale’s involvement is said to be similar to that of Tom Brady at Birmingham City and Luka Modric at Swansea City, thus protecting him from the losses suffered by Tan.
He will provide a high-profile name to spearhead Cardiff City’s commercial activity and to offer his expertise in transfer matters.
Writer’s View
Bale’s involvement in the Bluebirds would certainly raise their profile and create a lot of noise in League One.
It’s a slippery path for the former Welsh International though as his presence only works if the consortium provides funds for players and the club is successful. If this doesn’t happen, Bale could quickly become the famously faced scapegoat.
