Gareth Bale has announced his retirement.
The footballer published a message and announced his retirement at both club and international levels.
“After serious consideration, I announce the retirement of my career at both club and international levels.
I was incredibly fortunate to realise my dream of playing my favourite sport. It has really given me some of the best moments in my life. I played more than 17 seasons at the highest level. It will be impossible to repeat it, regardless of what the next page of my life will be.
It seems impossible to express gratitude to all the people who were with me in this adventure. I feel that I owe a debt too great to be repaid to many people for helping to change my life and build a career in a way I could not have dreamed of when I first started playing at the age of nine.
So, I am looking forward to starting the next stage in my life. It is time for a change, a chance for a new adventure,” Bale wrote.
Bale played his first match for the European team in the 2006/07 season. That time, he played for Southampton.
In 2007, the footballer joined Tottenham. He played for this club for the next six years. With Tottenham, he won the EFL Cup.
In 2013, Bale joined Real Madrid. He played for the Whites until 2020. After that, he returned to Tottenham on loan.
In 2022, Bale left Real Madrid and signed a contract with Los Angeles FC. He played 13 matches and scored three goals.
The footballer played 176 games in total for Real Madrid, and scored 81 goals. With Real Madrid, he won the UCL five times, the FIFA Club World Cup four times, won La Liga three times, the UEFA Super Cup twice, the Supercopa de España and the Copa del Rey once each.
Bale finished his professional career after playing for the Wales national team at the 2022 World Cup.
