Gareth Bale appeared to be in attendance alongside his son Axel for the recent World Cup clash between France and Senegal. The Wales legend was spotted enjoying some downtime while watching France's 3-1 win over Senegal at the New York New Jersey Stadium.
Bale Praises Wrexham's Progress
Bale has hailed Wrexham's "extraordinary" progress under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as they continue their bid to build towards a historic promotion to the Premier League. However, the former Real Madrid star insists the pair's ownership model is not necessarily one for others to follow.
Wrexham narrowly missed out on a place in the Championship play-offs last season, after being pipped to the post by Hull City, who after finishing sixth would go on to claim a place in the top flight.
"I don't think it's the model, but obviously it's a model and what they've done is absolutely incredible," Bale told Front Office Sports. "I think I've spoken about it a number of times from taking Wrexham from where they were to where they are now and investing in the right way. Again, bringing the community together, bringing the club together, kind of reviving them is amazing what they've done."
"To get three promotions in a row and actually on the last day of the season miss out on a play-off to get to the Premier League by two points is extraordinary, but very unlucky at the same time, because it would have been cool to have that fairy tale keep going."
"In sport, it's not always if you have the right investment, you get the right players, everything's in line... you still need them to perform on the pitch, which is out of your hands in a way," he added. "You can do as much as you can to prepare them, but you still need that luck to perform, get the promotion, get the ball to bounce your way a couple of times, which unfortunately didn't happen this year in terms of the last game of the season. They could easily have got one bounce of the ball, they get to the play-offs and they might make the Premier League. But what they're doing is extraordinary and a model definitely to be looked at seriously - hopefully they keep pushing that club forward and keep doing Wales proud."
Bale's Ownership Ambitions
Bale himself is still considering a move into football ownership, having recently launched a new investment fund alongside Juggernaut Capital Partners Founder John Shulman. Juggernaut Diversified Sports will aim to invest in teams and leagues across men's and women's sport, with a particularly keen focus on North America and Europe.
A move for Bale's hometown club Cardiff City could still be on the cards, but the former winger has already insisted any acquisition will need to be considered from a business point of view.
Speaking on the partnership between the pair, Juggernaut Capital founder Shulman said: "Almost twenty years ago, Juggernaut Capital was founded. Over ten years ago, we began investing in sports. We saw something others didn't yet: that sports weren't just entertainment. They were becoming one of the most powerful consumer platforms in the world. Today, we're taking that conviction further. I'm proud to announce the launch of Juggernaut Diversified Sports, a platform exclusively focused on investments across the global sports economy: domestic teams and leagues, women's sports, youth sports, international football clubs, golf, and other experiential assets."
"What makes this platform different is our strategic partner. @garethbale11 brings something the numbers can't capture. A career across the Premier League, La Liga, five Champions League titles and a World Cup with Wales gives us a unique view of how sports organizations actually function that you simply cannot replicate. Across all sports, he brings the mindset and experience set of a truly iconic athlete that adds unparalleled value across our investment strategy. He is, in every sense, my partner and pal."
"We've been working toward this for a while. Great to finally have it out in the open."
Bale Spotted with Son Axel at World Cup
But while he's been busy with his new venture, Bale enjoyed some well-earned down time on Tuesday, taking in France's 3-1 win over Senegal. The 36-year-old was spotted sitting in the crowd, seemingly alongside his rarely-seen eight-year-old son Axel, who could be seen wearing a France top in the stands at the New York New Jersey Stadium.
As well as football, Axel appears to share his dad's love of golf. Last year, Bale posted a video of his then six-year-old son hitting an impressive-looking tee shot alongside the caption "Little man made his first ever par".
