Gareth Bale announced his retirement.
The 33-year-old player published a statement in which he announced the end of performances both at the club and at the international level.
“After careful and serious consideration, I announce my immediate retirement at club and international level.
I am incredibly lucky to fulfill my dream of playing my favorite sport. It really gave me some of the best moments in my life. More than 17 seasons at the highest level – it will be impossible to repeat it, no matter what the next page of my life will be.
It seems impossible to express gratitude to all the people who played a part in this adventure. I feel indebted to so many people for helping me change my life and build a career that I never dreamed of when I first started playing at age 9.
So, I’m looking forward to moving on to the next stage in my life. Time for a change, a chance for a new adventure…” Bale wrote.
Bale made his debut in European football in the 2006/07 season – then he played for “Southampton».
In 2007, the Welshman moved to Tottenham, where he played for the next six years. He won the League Cup with Spurs.
In 2013, the midfielder became a Real Madrid player. Bale represented the Madrid club until 2020, following which he returned to “Tottenham» on a lease basis.
In 2022, Bale left Real Madrid and signed with Los Angeles, where he made 13 appearances and scored three goals.
About «RealThe Welshman played 176 games in total and scored 81 goals. With the Madrid team, he won the Champions League title five times, the Club World Cup four times, won La Ligatwice – the European Super Cup, once each – the Spanish Super Cup and the Spanish Cup.
Bale retired following playing for Wales at the 2022 World Cup.