At the age of 33, the Welsh striker Gareth Bale announced this Monday (9) that he hung up his boots after having participated with his team in the World Cup in Qatar. The Welsh were eliminated in the first round of the tournament.
“After careful and in-depth thought, I announce my immediate retirement from clubs and international football,” wrote the now former player on his social media profiles. He defended Real Madrid and Tottenham, among other teams, and was at Los Angeles FC, in the North American league.
Bale played 17 seasons as a professional. And he won the Champions League five times, all with Real Madrid, the team he played for from 2013 to 2022.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have fulfilled my dream of playing the sport I love and which has given me some of the best moments of my life,” said Bale. “From my first game for Southampton to my last for LA, everything that happened has shaped a career for which I am immensely proud and grateful,” he added.
The Welsh star played 111 games for his country. He reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016 and was one of those responsible for qualifying the country for the World Cup in Qatar after 64 years of absence from football’s biggest stage.
His career, however, has also been marred in recent years by constant physical problems, which have prevented him from playing regularly for Real Madrid.
During his time at the Spanish team, he formed with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema the attack that became known as “BBC”.
But, according to him, the most beautiful days were spent with the Welsh team. Born in Cardiff, the player with the most appearances and most goals scored (41) for the national team wrote an open letter to his “Welsh family”, in which he says that ending his career for the national team is “by far the hardest decision” of his career.
“My journey on the international stage has not only changed my life but also the person I am. The opportunity to be Welsh and to be called up to play, to be captain of Wales, has given me something incomparable with the rest of the things I’ve experienced. “, finished.
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