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Wales Online
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Jon Doel

Gareth Bale's agent gives Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney his answer

Gareth Bale's agent has told Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney the Welshman has no interest in resurrecting his football career.

Jonathan Barnett said Bale was "flattered" by the offer from the Hollywood owners to come out of retirement for one last season with Wrexham in League Two. But he insisted there was no chance of it happening.

McElhenney and Reynolds have both urged Bale to consider joining them, with Reynolds posting a mocked-up picture of the former Wales captain in a Wrexham shirt on social media.

In an appearance on The Aarthi & Sriram Show, McElhenney said last week: "Gareth, okay – just you and me talking here for a second.

"I know Southern California is beautiful and I know, because I'm from Philadelphia and I've lived here for many many years. But you're a young man, and you have the rest of your life to live wherever you want. But, if you could just come back for one last year of glory – one last year – I believe your nation, the nation of Wales, is counting on you to do the right thing. Call me."

Barnett told Sky Sports: "He's flattered by the offers, but they're all tongue-in-cheek. He's having a great life at the moment and [it is] well-deserved, he's been the best British footballer probably ever.

"He's now having a well-deserved rest. They [Reynolds and McElhenney] haven't actually spoken to me, they may have spoken to Gareth but Gareth doesn't want to play football anymore. He's had a great career and he's enjoyed himself, but he's having a great life now.

"He's with his family which is the most important thing. He's spending a lot of time with his children and that's what he wants to do." Barnett also said Bale's decision to retire following the 2022 World Cup at the age of just 33 did not come as a shock due to his struggles with injury in the final years of his career.

"He'd been discussing it for a long time and, for him, it was the right time," Barnett explained. "He's achieved everything he wanted to achieve. He's played for Wales at the highest level, the World Cup, which is what he really wanted to do and I think he knew his body wasn't really up to it anymore. He'd had a hard time with his body the last few years and now he's a different person."

Read more:

Ryan Reynolds to fly in to Wembley to support Wrexham rivals Notts County

Rob McElhenney's Hollywood wife looks after Wrexham players as they melt in Vegas heat

Wrexham's Rob McElhenney joins Ryan Reynolds in classy message to Notts County

Rob McElhenney not taking no for an answer and asks Gareth Bale for 'one last year' at Wrexham

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