Striker Bale retires from professional football

“After careful consideration, I am announcing my retirement from club and international football with immediate effect,” the 33-year-old striker wrote. “I feel extremely privileged to have been able to achieve my dream. I have been able to play the sport that I love. The heights I have experienced over the past 17 years are impossible to match, no matter what the future holds for me.”

Bale made his Southampton debut aged 16. He broke through at Tottenham Hotspur, who sold him to Real Madrid for €100m after six years. He won the Champions League five times with the best Spanish club.

MLS

Bale has played for Los Angeles FC in MLS for the past six months. He was also part of Wales’ squad for the World Cup in Qatar. He played the last match of his career there against England on November 29 (0-3).

The striker made 111 international appearances for Wales, who were cleared to take part in a World Cup again for the first time since 1958, thanks in part to Bale. With Bale as captain, Wales reached the semi-finals of the 2016 European Championship. His country’s most famous footballer is unsure whether he will return to football in a different role. “I’m heading into the next phase of my life. It’s time for a change, a chance for a new adventure.”