Gareth Bale, an international soccer star and one of the most accomplished and perhaps underrated players of his generation, announced his retirement from professional soccer on Monday.
The Welshman’s professional career lasted nearly 20 years and spanned four teams, five if including his national service for Wales, which he captained during the recent FIFA World Cup. Bale’s most recent team, MLS’s Los Angeles FC, won its first MLS Cup title this past year in his first year at the club.
PELE, ARCHITECT OF THE BEAUTIFUL GAME
“After careful and thoughtful consideration, I announce my immediate retirement from club and international football,” Bale said. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have realised my dream of playing the sport I love. It has truly given me some of the best moments of my life. … So, I move on with anticipation to the next stage of my life. A time of change and transition, an opportunity for a new adventure.”
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) January 9, 2023
Bale, who scored nearly 200 goals across club and country, is known for his crafty left boot, acrobatic finishing, and in his prime, supreme quickness that helped propel him to a reported world record transfer fee to Spanish side Real Madrid in 2013. The winger previously dazzled for Premier League side Tottenham, where he burst on the scene with daring solo runs and clinical goals. Bale began his career at Southampton, another English side, where he was known as a free kick specialist.
Unforgettable Bale hat-trick ⚽️⚽️⚽️@GarethBale11 || #UCL pic.twitter.com/DZcqqcpbuM
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 9, 2023
The Welshman’s career was not without silverware either. He won five Champions League trophies with Real Madrid, won the Spanish league with the same side three times, and was named Welsh Footballer of the Year six times, in addition to a bevy of other accomplishments.
??? @GarethBale11‘s BEST GOALS as a madridista!
? 19 titles
? 9 seasons pic.twitter.com/ZY0XBMPUO5— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) January 9, 2023
Current and former players and coaches sent their best wishes to Bale in his next chapter.
“Unforgettable… Thank you Gareth Bale,” Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti tweeted to his former player.
“What an incredible Journey, Gas It has been such a pleasure making history together and sharing so many beautiful moments. LEGEND,” Bale’s former teammate at Madrid, Marcelo Vieira, tweeted to the Welshman.
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“A legend of Spurs and a legend of football. Congratulations on an amazing career !! Wishing you the best luck in your next chapter mate,” Tottenham star winger and former teammate of Bale’s, Son Heung-min, said.
Bale’s Wales bowed out of the 2022 World Cup, in which it was in a group with the United States, England, and Iran, without making it out of the group stage.
