Former Real Madrid and Wales forward Gareth Bale has announced his retirement from football at the age of 33. Wales’ World Cup team for 2022 in Qatar included the attacker who previously played for Tottenham and Real Madrid and spent the previous MLS season with LAFC. The decision to retire from international football, according to Bale, was “by far the hardest of my career.” The Welshman is regarded as one of Britain’s greatest-ever football exports and won three La Liga championships in addition to five Champions League crowns while playing for Real Madrid.
“My experience on the global stage has altered not only my life but also who I am,” former Real Madrid and Wales forward Gareth Bale said. “I thus announce my immediate retirement from the club and international football after careful and thoughtful contemplation. I consider myself tremendously fortunate to have achieved my goal of participating in the sport I adore. I can honestly say that it has given me some of my best times. No matter what the next chapter has for me, it will be hard to match the highest of highs over the course of 17 seasons. From my very first touch at Southampton to my very last at LAFC, everything in between helped to shape a club career for which I am incredibly grateful and proud. It has definitely been a dream come true to play 111 times for my country and serve as captain.”
“To express my gratitude to everyone who has contributed in some way to this journey seems impossible. I owe a lot of individuals for changing my life and forming my profession in ways I never could have imagined when I first began out at the age of nine,” he added. “To my former teams: LAFC, Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid. The influence you have had on me is immeasurable, all of my past managers and coaches, backroom staff, teammates, devoted fans, my agents, and my incredible friends and family.”
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