Gareth Bale announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 33.
Bale made the surprise announcement on Monday in a statement posted on his social media.
It ends a career that has seen Bale excel for Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, real Madrid and LAFCwhile establishing himself as one of the greatest players in the history of Welsh football.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)
“After careful and thoughtful consideration, I am announcing my immediate retirement from club and international football,” Bale said. said in a statement.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have achieved my dream of playing the sport I love. It has truly given me some of the best times of my life. The highest of 17 season highs, which will be impossible to replicate, whatever the next chapter has in store for me.
At club level, Bale began his professional career at Southampton and his form there earned him a transfer to Tottenham in May 2007. He joined Spurs as a left-back but was soon moved to a to the left of Tottenham’s line of attack and he then established himself as one of the best players in the world.
He won a string of individual awards for his performances in the Premier League side, and in September 2013 Madrid signed Bale to a record six-year contract worth €100m.
-Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) January 9, 2023
In Spain, Bale won three La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey and five Champions Leagues (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022). Despite being frozen out in the final stages of his Madrid contract, he contributed some historic moments for Los Blancosincluding his stunning overhead kick in their 3-1 win over liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final.
Towards the end of his Madrid career, he spent the 2020-21 campaign on loan at Spurs. And after a final season back at Madrid, he left the club in June 2022 at the end of his contract and signed a 12-month contract with LAFC.
He made 14 appearances for the United and his biggest contribution came with a 128th-minute overtime header in the MLS Cup Final which saw LAFC draw 3-3 against Philadelphia Union. This forced the game into a penalty shootout that led to LAFC winning their first-ever major trophy.
“Showing my gratitude to everyone who has played their part throughout this journey seems impossible,” Bale added. “I feel indebted to many people for helping to change my life and shape my career in ways I never could have dreamed of when I started at 9 years old.
“To my former clubs Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid and finally LAFC, to all my managers and coaches, behind the scenes staff, to my teammates, to all the dedicated fans, to my agents, to my amazing friends and my family, the impact you have had is immeasurable.”
Bale’s last act in football was playing for Wales at the 2022 World Cup, where he earned the last of his record 111 caps in their 3-0 loss to England. He led the team in this competition and upon announcing his retirement, he issued a separate statement addressed to his “Welsh family”.
-Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) January 9, 2023
He ends his international career as Wales’ most capped male player with 111 appearances, alongside his record 41 goals. He helped the team to the semi-finals of Euro 2016, while leading their campaigns at Euro 2020 and the recent World Cup, in the first appearance of the Welsh men’s side at the Cup the world since 1958.
“My journey on the international stage has changed not only my life, but also who I am,” Bale wrote. The chance to be Welsh and to have been selected to play and captain Wales has given me something incomparable to anything I have experienced.
“I am humbled and honored to have been able to play a part in the history of this incredible country, to have felt the support and passion of the Red Wall, and to have been together in unexpected and amazing places.”
Bale hasn’t announced what his next plans are: “I move forward with anticipation into the next stage of my life,” he wrote in his retirement statement. “A time of change and transition, an opportunity for a new adventure.”
Whatever form this new adventure takes, he says he will keep a close eye on his Wales team.
“So for now I’m taking a step back, but not far from the team that lives inside me and runs through my veins,” he added. “After all, the dragon on my shirt is all I need.”
0 Comments