The soccer legend has formed a sports fund with private-equity firm Juggernaut Capital.
Legendary soccer player Gareth Bale has launched a new sports investment fund, and is still hoping to buy Wales-based soccer club Cardiff City despite being previously rebuffed, he told Front Office Sports.
The fund, which Bale is launching with private-equity firm Juggernaut Capital Partners, is called Juggernaut Diversified Sports. It will invest in teams and leagues in both men’s and women’s sports, including soccer clubs, as well as youth sports. The geographic focus will be North America and Europe. Juggernaut founder John Shulman wouldn’t share the size of the fund, but said it will be smaller than $1 billion, drawing a contrast between other recently launched megafunds that buy small stakes in pro teams that already have high valuations, and how Juggernaut aims to invest.
Bale, who played most of his career for Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, has been trying to buy Cardiff City for some time. Last summer, he told FOS a group he was involved with had submitted a second offer to buy the team after a prior offer was rejected. Financial details of his offers have not been disclosed, although the original bid was reportedly worth $54 million (£40 million).
