The former Real Madrid icon and Gareth Bale has announced his retirement from his club and international football and was confirmed via a statement given by the footballer himself.
The ex-Tottenham player wrote that after thoughtful and careful consideration, he was announcing his immediate retirement from club and international football. He said that he was incredibly fortunate to have realized his dream of playing the sport that he loved so much.
Gareth Bale retires from football
The Wales icon continued that it had truly given him some of the best moments of his life and said that that the highest of highs over 17 long seasons will be impossible to replicate ever, no matter what the next chapter of life has in store for him.
He said that from his very first touch at Southampton to his last with LAFC and all of the things in between that shaped his club career, he has immense pride and gratitude for it. He continued that playing for and captaining his nation 111 times has truly been a dream come true for him.
The ex-Real Madrid player that is an impossibility to show his gratitude to all of those who have played their part along his journey and that he felt indebted to many people for helping him change his life and shape his career in a way that he couldn’t ever have dreamt of when he started at 9 years of age.
The former Welsh captain took it ahead to thanks his previous clubs, Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid, and finally LAFC, all of his previous coaches and managers, teammates, backroom staff, his agents, his amazing friends and family, and finally all his dedicated fans, and said that the impact they have had is immeasurable.
He also thanked his parents, his sister, wife and children for their dedication, love and unwavering support throughout which has carried him through his highs and lows.
Last but not the least, Gareth Bale wrote to his Welsh family and said that his decision to retire from international football has the hardest decision of his career. He said how being part of this country and the emotions he felt every time he put on the Welsh jersey meant the world to him.
However, Bale also stated that this was time of transition and an opportunity for the beginning of a new adventure and the next stage of his life, to which he would love to move on with anticipation.
