By Streisand Neto
LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Former Wales and Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale says he is aiming to buy a controlling stake in a soccer club as part of a sports investment vehicle with American private equity firm Juggernaut Capital Partners.
Bale told Reuters he and John Shulam, founder and managing partner of Juggernaut, were “looking at which (club) is the right fit for us”.
“It's something that I've always kind of been on the lookout (for) but never quite had the right opportunity
until obviously I met John,” Bale said.
“I've been inside the dressing rooms and know how things work from the inside athlete perspective. John and his team are experts on the other side. So if we can kind of mesh that together, I think it'll be an amazing partnership.
“Cardiff (City) may be an option, it may not be, but it's just one of many,” said Bale who won five Champions League titles with Real Madrid and retired after the 2022 World Cup.
Shulam said the partnership aimed to own a controlling stake in a club.
“What we do not want to do is have a tiny piece of some giant Premier League team, that's not our strategy. We want to buy something where we can have the direct impact, where we be the controlling shareholder,” he said.
Shulam said Juggernaut's sports platform would also invest in other areas.
“We'll be investing in golf. We'll be investing in youth sports. We'll invest in women's sports, very importantly, and there has not been enough attention paid to women's sport,” he said, adding that it would soon announce its first investment in a women’s professional team.
(Reporting by Streisand Neto; Editing by Clare Fallon)
