Five times Champions League winner, Gareth Bale has confirmed he will be stepping down from international and club football.
The 33-year-old former Welsh captain made the announcement via his Instagram on Monday, January 10.
Bale played his final tournament for his national team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament in Qatar where Wales were eliminated in the group stages.
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The playmaker who made his senior football debut at the age of 17 with English Premier league outfit, Southampton became a world class footballer when he joined Tottenham Hotspur before joining iconic Spanish football club, Real Madrid where he immediately became world’s most expensive in 2013.
Bale went on to win five Champions League titles with Real Madrid before he joined United States’ Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit, Los Angeles Football Club.
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Bale has described the decision to quit international football as “by far the hardest of my career“.
“My journey on the international stage is one that has changed not only my life, but who l am,” he added.
Bale wrote on social media: “After careful and thoughtful consideration, I announce my immediate retirement from club and international football.”
“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. The highest of highs over 17 seasons, that will be impossible to replicate, no matter what the next chapter has in store for me.”
Read his full statement below.
View this post on Instagram
