Wales captain and top scorer Gareth Bale has announced his retirement from professional football.
The 33-year-old made the announcement on his social media channels on Monday which brings an end to an illustrious career that amassed 200 goals including 41 international goals for Wales national team.
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) January 9, 2023
He made his international debut in 2006 and he quits as the country’s most-capped player with 111 appearances.
Bale, a six-time Welsh footballer of the Year, helped the Dragons to their second World Cup appearance and first since 1958.
Although the Rob Page-led side were disappointing in Qatar, Bale scored one goal in three games as they bowed out at the group stage.
In 2005, he began his professional career as a left-back for English club Southampton in the second division before moving to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in the 2007-08 season.
After being converted to a winger due to his blistering pace and directness, he won the Premier League player of the season and the PFA Young player of the season awards in 2012–13.
He scored 21 goals in 33 league appearances for the North London club, leading them to UEFA Europa League qualification.
Bale had the most success with Real Madrid, where he spent nine years from 2013 to 2022. He moved for a then-world record fee of about €100 million on a six-year contract.
The Welshman quickly became a fan favourite, forming an iconic attacking trio with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, earning them the nickname the “BBC”.
He scored on his Madrid debut against Villarreal and finished the season with 22 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions amid numerous injuries.
The former Southampton attacker won sixteen titles with Los Blancos, including a record-tying five UEFA Champions League titles and three La Liga titles.
Although the latter part of his career with the Spanish side was filled with controversies, Bale scored over a hundred goals for Madrid, including two match-winning goals in the Champions League final, the most for any player in history.
The troubled Bale returned to Tottenham in the 2020–21 season on a season-long loan, guiding the team to Europa Conference League qualification and finishing the season with 11 goals and 2 assists in 20 league games, including a hat trick in a 4-0 win over Sheffield United.
In June 2022, he signed a one-year contract with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC, scoring his first goal for the club in just his second appearance after coming on as a substitute against Sporting Kansas City.
He finished the year as a champion, winning the MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield.
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) January 9, 2023
