Real Madrid legend Gareth Bale – yes, I will use that phrasing as often as possible to make the deniers angry – has left the club this summer after his contract expired. Though Bale did not play much for Los Merengues due to nagging injuries and a need to be 100 percent in order for Wales to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, which could very well be Bale’s last, the man did leave Madrid on top with his fifth Champions League title.
Now, Bale has signed with LAFC, making the unsurprising move to MLS. Bale was actually linked with a move to the United States a couple of years ago, but it was always more likely for him to leave when his Real Madrid contract ended.
MLS has a reputation for being the place where superstars of European football go to retire and make a whole lot of money, but fans will be surprised to hear that Bale’s wages are a LOT lower than expected. Certainly, lower than what he was making at Real Madrid when the club could not find a team able to take on his salary.
Gareth Bale will earn just 1.5 million dollars in wages from LAFC
According to a report from The Athletic, via Madrid Zone on Twitter, Gareth Bale will earn just 1.5 million dollars in wages from LAFC, whereas he received 35 million dollars from Real Madrid on his contract.
Bale earned every penny of that contract from Real at the time of signing, and if they did not want to be on the hook for so much money, they should have listened to Zinedine Zidane and sold him after his incredible 2018 Champions League Final – the last of his peak in Madrid.
So the real story is that it is surprising to see Bale making so little in MLS. Even at this stage of his career, Bale brings a lot more in marketing and on-field performance to LAFC than 1.5 million dollars in a year. I’d imagine that he had more lucrative offers elsewhere.
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But LA is a great place to live, LAFC have an exciting project with another icon in Giorgio Chiellini, and Bale can stay sharp there before relaxing when the World Cup arrives. That’s worth more to him than a little extra money, of which Bale has made – and donated, let’s not forget – plenty of.