Gareth Bale is the type of footballer who can change the game with his mere presence. Bale is a tremendous player, whose combination of pace and skill are second to none. Bale is one of the quickest soccer players in the entire world, and much like how he gallops on the pitch, his star also saw a rapid rise through his career. Along with his stardom, it is only natural that Bale's value also skyrocketed. Let's take a look at Gareth Bale's net worth in 2021.
Gareth Bale's net worth in 2021 (estimate): $145 million
Listed by the Wealthy Gorilla with a net worth of $145 million as of 2021, Gareth Bale is not only one of the wealthiest footballers in the sport, but he has also become one of the richest athletes in the entire world. Here is the story of how he got to be so filthy rich.
Bale was born in Cardiff, Wales on July 16, 1989. His career started early, joining English club Southampton as part of the youth team. In 2006, he made his debut for the senior squad in the Football Championship league in England. He was just 16 at that time, but already, it was clear that he had a tremendously bright future ahead of him. Testament to this fact is how he won the Football League Young Player of the Year in his debut season.
London-based club Tottenham Hotspur secured the services of Bale from Southampton in 2007. This cost the Spurs a transfer fee of $6.5 million, which in hindsight, was an absolute steal. Bale immediately paid dividends for his new employer, helping Tottenham to climb in stature in the English Premier League.
Bale spent a total of six seasons with Tottenham, and while the club did their best to hold on to their prized star, it was only a matter of time before the giants of the sport were knocking on his door.
In 2013, Real Madrid came calling.
At that time, the Welsh winger was on a $97,000 weekly salary — an amount that the Spurs were reportedly willing to double just to be able to keep Bale on their side. Their attempt was futile, though, with Bale ultimately deciding to join the Spanish giant for a record transfer fee, which was estimated to be anywhere between $107 to $117 million. For a bit of perspective, that fee was potentially even bigger than what Real Madrid paid for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in 2009, which was at $110 million.
For his part, Bale was earning $19.4 million per year at Madrid when he signed with them in 2013. If there was still any doubt about it, Bale had already confirmed his status as one of the top players in the sport at that point.
Bale's most recent deal with Real Madrid extends up to 2022. His new deal stipulates an annual income of $33 million, making him one of the most handsomely paid athletes on the planet. However, they did loan him off to Spurs in 2020/21, but the club will be looking to bring Bale back to Madrid for next season.
Given Bale's stature, it only comes naturally that he has become one of the highest-paid endorsers of all time. Sportswear giant Adidas is one of Bale's biggest sponsors, having penned a deal with the company in 2014 worth $25.8 million for six years. He also signed a $5.2 million deal with Japanese soft drink brand Lucozade to be the face of their “I believe” campaign. Other endorsement deals include EA Sports, Simba Sleep, Sony, and BT Sports.
Bale is estimated to be earning upwards of $12 million per year on his endorsement deals alone. He owns a company named Primesure Limited, which owns and manages his own image rights. Being the good son that he is, he named his parents to a 40% stake in the company.
With all the millions of dollars in his bank account, Bale knows how to live in style. In Madrid, he resides in a luxury apartment that was once owned by former Real Madrid star Kaka. Bale reportedly purchased the property for $9.3 million. He also owns a massive estate in his native Wales, which — get this — has its own three-hole golf course. Bale loves the sport of golf so much that he decided to have his own course made at home.
Bale has an awesome collection of luxury cars, including a Mercedes SLS AMG, Lamborghini Huracan, and a Ferrari GTC4 Lusso. However, his most prized mode of transportation is his Cessna Citation XLS private jet, which is worth a whopping $13 million.
Bale is also savvy on social media. He has 43.7 million Instagram followers as of writing and is reportedly raking in as much as $185,000 per post. This makes him the second-highest paid Briton on Instagram, second only to the legendary David Beckham.
Were you at all surprised by Gareth Bale's net worth in 2021?
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