Gareth Bale: Real Madrid forward's future rests on Wales' World Cup fate
- Published
Gareth Bale is Wales' all-time leading scorer with 38 goals in 102 games
Gareth Bale will wait until Wales discover their World Cup fate before making a decision on his club future.
Bale, 32, scored two brilliant goals in Wales' World Cup play-off semi-final win over Austria last Thursday to set up a final against Scotland or Ukraine.
That one-off tie has been postponed because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with the final now likely to be played in June.
Bale's contract at Real Madrid expires at the end of this season.
"We have not discussed anything yet," Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, told BBC Sport Wales.
"Once we know Wales' situation with the World Cup, we will discuss it then."
Bale will leave Real Madrid when his contract, worth an estimated £600,000 per week, ends this summer.
He has won 14 trophies during his nine years with Real, including four Champions League titles, but he has faced criticism in Spain for his injury record and perceived greater commitment to Wales.
That escalated last week when Spanish newspaper Marca described Bale as a "parasite", prompting a strong response from the Wales captain who also faced calls on Spanish television for Madrid to sack him before his contract expires.
Bale's relationship with Real has deteriorated in recent years and he was close to moving to China in 2019 before his transfer to Jiangsu Suning fell through.
He then rejoined former club Tottenham on loan last season and has started only three games for Real during this campaign.
After a successful start to his career in Madrid, Bale's future has been under particularly intense scrutiny over the past three years, and there was speculation that he would retire from football entirely after last summer's delayed Euro 2020.
He did not categorically deny that before the tournament and, although he said in September last year that he never had any intention of retiring, similar speculation has resurfaced this week.
Bale has deflected questions about his future as he aims to lead Wales to a first World Cup since 1958, his greatest remaining ambition.
Reports have suggested Bale could retire if Wales fail to qualify for the World Cup, though neither the player himself nor his representatives have commented on those claims.
It is certain, however, that Wales' World Cup aspirations will have a major bearing on what Bale does next.
If Wales do qualify, Bale will need to find a new club in order to play and stay fit for the World Cup, which starts in Qatar in November.
There has been speculation linking him with a move to his home club Cardiff City but, even if he was to join the team for whom his uncle Chris Pike played, the sentimental element would still need to be weighed up with the financial realities.
Like most clubs in the Championship, money is tight for Cardiff at the moment and Bale would need to cut his salary almost entirely to make a move even vaguely possible.
The more optimistic Cardiff fan might cling on to the fact that the Bluebirds share a training base with Wales, whose medical and fitness staff have worked closely with Bale during his career.
Wherever Bale ends up - a return to Tottenham is the shortest price with bookmakers - if Wales qualify, it is expected that he would remain in close contact with the Football Association of Wales' staff.
His team-mate Aaron Ramsey used Wales' training facilities in the Vale of Glamorgan when he was visiting family during Juventus' winter break in December.
Speaking before last week's play-off semi-final against Austria, Bale reiterated that he will not consider his club future until Wales' bid to qualify for the World Cup is done.
"I haven't thought about that at all, since we knew we were going to be in this situation my sole focus has just been on this," he said.
"Thinking about future can cause doubts I guess in your own mind, so I've not been thinking about that."
LEGENDS OF WELSH SPORT: Game changers who revolutionised their sports and their country
FEAST OF FOOTBALL: Chew over the week's football with Elis James
