Wales captain Gareth Bale has announced his retirement from football after a glittering career at the age of 33.
The nation’s most-capped men’s player with 111 appearances announced his decision on social media.
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) January 9, 2023
“After careful and thoughtful consideration, I announce my immediate retirement from club and international football,” wrote the LAFC forward.
“I feel incredibly fortunate to have realised my dream of playing the sport I love.”
The Cardiff-born star’s club career took him from Southampton to Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid before his move to Los Angeles.
He was his country’s talisman as they reached the 2016 and 2020 Euros before ending his career in Wales’ first World Cup since 1958 at Qatar 2022.
“It (football) has truly given me some of the best moments of my life,” added Bale.
“The highest of highs over 17 seasons, that will be impossible to replicate, no matter what the next chapter has in store for me.”