Bale hopes Wrexham 'keep doing Wales proud'

[Getty Images] Gareth Bale hopes Wrexham "keep doing Wales proud" as they continue to build towards their aim of reaching the Premier League. The Red Dragons missed out on a play-off spot in the Championship on the final day of the 2025-26 season as they were pipped to sixth spot by Hull City, who went on to gain promotion to the top-flight. And former Wales international Bale hailed the Stok Cae Ras club's ownership model - led by Hollywood stars Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds - as "incredible". "I don't think it's the model (to follow), but obviously it's a model and what they've done is absolutely incredible," the former Real Madrid star told US media outlet 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." It comes as Bale reiterated his desire to buy a football club - with his hometown side Cardiff City sitting at the top of his wish list. And while insisting that Wrexham's current model should not necessarily be the blueprint for prospective owners at present, Bale stated the Red Dragons' progress since the club was taken over in February 2021 has been "extraordinary". "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."