How Hollywood star convinced Bale to move to MLS
FT Desk
- Updated: 15 Aug 2022 21:03 BST
- 3 min read
Hollywood idol Will Ferrell played a surprise key role in convincing Gareth Bale to join Los Angeles FC this summer.
Bale said farewell to Real Madrid at the end of the 2021-22 season after nine years in the Spanish capital.
For his next destination he chose MLS, causing a huge stir in the United States when he arrived stateside to become one of the league's premier stars.
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The 33-year-old has wasted no time in showing his worth to LAFC, scoring two goals in his first four matches as the club chases what would be its first MLS title just four years after playing their first campaign.
And if Bale can take them to glory, LAFC fans will also have club co-owner and Zoolander and Anchorman star Ferrell to thank.
“I can't remember exactly what stage in the conversation it was but Gareth did receive a personal message from Will Ferrell,” LA co-president John Thorrington told the Mirror.
'Never believed it would happen'
Movie star influence aside, Bale's MLS came as a shock to the football world - and, indeed, even LAFC themselves.
“I will tell you the absolute, honest truth: until I saw a signature I never believed it would happen. I got a message asking whether we would have any interest in Gareth and from there we had a substantive conversation with his representative," Thorrington added.
“It was all fairly simple. I wouldn't even say we had to convince Gareth because it was just a frank and genuine exchange after we asked him what he wanted from the next stage of his career. Whether that's going into the World Cup, what he wanted beyond that and what we could offer him.
“Everything then aligned to the point where we could do the deal. We just had probably five or six conversations and I think each got us a step closer.”
