Gareth Bale Could 'Retire After Euro 2020' And Focus On Becoming A Professional Golfer

Gareth Bale is reportedly negotiating an early exit from Real Madrid and could even retire from football altogether after Euro 2020 - to pursue a professional golf career.

Bale scored 16 goals back on loan at Tottenham Hotspur this season but returned to the Spanish capital following Sunday's 4-2 win over Leicester City.

He isn't likely to feature for 'Los Blancos' next season and a shock report from ABC has detailed exactly what could happen.

The 31-year-old is interested in a partial payout from Madrid which will then seen his contract terminated a year early, with his current deal expiring in 2022.

It then states Bale could quit football for good after this summer's Euros and dedicate himself to golf.

An avid golfer, the winger is said to be considering taking the sport up 'professionally' should he hang up his boots.

PA

Bale currently earns £13 million a year at Real Madrid and it's said he could ask for around half of that to be let go early.

He scored twice over the weekend to help Spurs seal qualification for the Europa Conference League, but refused to discuss his future.

"It'll just have to be... it will have to happen after the Euros," the former Southampton man told Sky Sports per Wales Online.

"I know what I'm doing, but it'll just cause chaos if I say anything.

"All I'm thinking about now is finishing this season off strong and we meet up straight away for the Euros.

PA

"I'm not thinking about anything else other than Wales."

Should Bale make a return to Madrid, he'll likely have more obstacles to overcome regarding fan opinion.

He isn't the most popular at the Santiago Bernabeu and recent comments regarding Eden Hazard won't have gone down well.

The Belgian received pelters for celebrating with Chelsea stars after the Blues qualified for the Champions League final - at Madrid's expense.

Spanish media went in hard on Hazard, but teammate Bale defended him when asked about the scenes.

PA

"I've seen it," Bale told the Times of the reaction, "It was literally as if he'd just murdered everybody. It's a game of football at the end of the day.

"In Spain, football is very magnified. Everything you do at Real Madrid is magnified. The media have cameras on you 24/7."

Topics: Golf, Tottenham Hotspur, Football, gareth bale, Real Madrid

Daniel Marland

Daniel is a journalist for SPORTbible and he has previous experience with Manchester United. He has spoken to some of the biggest names in sport including Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch, WWE COO Triple H and WWE legend The Undertaker. May or may not do a decent impression of Jamie Carragher.

@DanMarland_