Gareth Bale retires from club and international football

Representing Wales, Bale led the Dragons to a number of high points, setting records along the way. This is how Wales reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016. That was the country’s first appearance in the tournament. En route to the semi-finals, Bale scored in each of the three group stage matches.

Still, the crowning achievement of his international career was bringing Wales back to the World Cup in 2022. In the play-off stage to reach Qatar, Bale scored a brace against Austria. He then scored the only goal of the game against Ukraine to take Wales to its first World Cup since 1958. Bale scored Wales’ only goal of the tournament, a penalty to salvage a draw against the United States.

Bale had an interesting club career to say the least. After climbing through the ranks at Southampton, the Welshman joined Tottenham for just $20 million. After winning PFA Players’ Player of the Year in both 2011 and 2013 with Spurs, Real Madrid broke the bank to acquire the winger. Los Blancos then paid a record amount of $132 million.

Bale won an assortment of trophies in Spain. Three LaLiga titles, a Copa del Rey where he scored one of the most famous goals of his career against Barcelona, ​​three Supercopas de España, three UEFA Supercupa and four FIFA Club World Cups.

But the best of those are five UEFA Champions League titles, which play a key role in many of those finals.

Gareth Bale retires from football

Real Madrid supporters remember Bale’s brace against Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final, which included a masterful bicycle kick to give Real a lead they were determined to relinquish. In the 2014 Champions League final, Bale scored the eventual winner in extra time against Atletico Madrid.

Despite scoring over a century of goals in his more than 250 appearances with Real Madrid, supporters aren’t too fond of Bale. Problems with injuries and sometimes a lack of commitment caused Madrid fans to .

It didn’t help, of course, that after qualifying for Euro 2020, Wales showed a flag with Bale saying “Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order.That rubbed Real Madrid supporters down the wrong way, perhaps rightly so.

Anyway, Bale left the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2022. He ended up in MLS, where he would spend the last months of his playing career. In true Bale fashion, he showed up when it mattered most and scored the equalizer deep into extra time in extra time. LAFC went on to win its first MLS Cup, handing Bale the last trophy of his career.