Gareth bale

The nation's most-capped male player and record men's goalscorer announced his decision on social media. Bale, a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, is arguably Wales' finest ever footballer. "After careful and thoughtful consideration, I announce my immediate retirement from club and international football," Bale said. "I feel incredibly fortunate to have realised my dream of playing the sport I love." Cardiff-born Bale's club career took him from Southampton to Tottenham Hotspur and a world record transfer to Spanish giants Real before his move to Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC in June 2022. He was his country's talisman as they reached the 2016 and 2020 European Championships before he led Wales at their first World Cup since 1958 at Qatar 2022, ending his international career with 41 goals in 111 appearances. Bale was twice named footballer of the year while at Tottenham, in 2010-11 and 2012-13, and moved to Real for what was then a world-record fee of more than £80m in September 2013. During his time in the Spanish capital, Bale helped Real win three league titles and five Champions League titles - a number no other British player has matched - along with three Club World Cups, three Uefa Super Cups and a Spanish cup. "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." Watch Gareth B...

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Gareth Bale, Wales men’s all-time leading goalscorer and a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, has announced his retirement from football. Bale, one of Britain’s most decorated players, has stepped away from the game midway through his contract at Bale’s decision comes little more than a month after he vowed to continue playing after Wales’s disappointing group-stage exit at their first • Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'. • If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version. • In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications. • Turn on sport notifications. Thank you for your feedback. Bale started at Southampton, making his debut aged 16, and spent six years at Tottenham before joining Madrid in 2013 for a then world-record £85m fee. He had indicated as recently as November that he would play on until at least the end of Wales’s Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Bale scored 41 goals in 111 international appearances. In a separate statement “I feel incredibly fortunate to have achieved 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.” It means Bale’s final game was the Gareth Bale scores for Real M...

Gareth Bale: Former Wales, Tottenham and Real Madrid forward retires from football aged 33 Bale, who spent last season at LAFC, was part of Wales' squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar; the Welshman won five Champions League titles and La Liga three times at Real Madrid and is considered one of Britain's greatest-ever football exports Trending • Transfer Centre LIVE! Real Madrid's Bellingham explains his move... • US Open: Fowler leads Schauffele after record-breaking round LIVE! • Man Utd shares up 10 per cent but Qataris still waiting on exclusivity • Bellingham passes first test on Real unveiling as new No 5 • Beckham to join Brentford B permanently from Inter Miami • Mbappe: Macron has no influence on my career • PL fixtures 2023/24: Man City open season at Kompany's Burnley • Arsenal's £80m-plus Rice bid rejected | West Ham want £120m • Everything you need to know about the World Cup of Darts • Rangers sign Lammers | Beale: We are ahead of schedule • • The Welshman won five Champions League titles and LaLiga three times at Real Madrid and is considered one of Britain's greatest-ever football exports. Also See: • Transfer Centre LIVE! • Papers - latest headlines • Download the Sky Sports App • Get Sky Sports "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 f...

Gareth Bale has had a brilliant career at Real Madrid by trophy count, but a combination of injuries and his sour relationship with the Spanish media has made him a polarising figure. In recent times, Bale has shown a real love for playing for his country, but a perceived lack of interest in playing for his club - a situation which came to a head in 2019, when he infamously held up a banner reading: "Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order." From game to game, it's become near-impossible to predict whether he will start or even feature for Los Blancos - and starring for Wales in the international break, he ended the game with a knock to throw more doubt over his status. Will Bale play against Chelsea? Despite barely featuring this season, Bale did star for Wales in the international break, scoring two goals to help send Wales into the final qualifying round for the 2022 World Cup. He has been seen in training ahead of the first leg against Chelsea, and following his success for his country, he may be awarded his first start for his club since February 12. He didn't feature in the 2-1 victory against Celta Vigo at the weekend, potentially being saved by manager Carlo Ancelotti for the game against Chelsea. He hasn't been a favourite under the Italian manager in their second spell together, but he is available and could be an option off the bench on familiar ground. What is Bale's injury record this season? This season has been nothing but one continuous merry-go-round of injurie...

faced the anger of fans at the Bernabeu Stadium on multiple occasions, despite playing a significant role in the club's successful era before leaving under strained circumstances. Reflecting on his time at Real Madrid, Bale expressed that he has "no regrets" despite being booed by his own supporters. "You just grow up, I think," Bale told Football Daily, when asked how the move to Madrid changed him. "You're obviously going into a different culture, a different country. "I've had to grow up as a person never mind a footballer, and you just learn how to deal with the situations that you're in. Obviously I've been in immense pressure situations, I've had people on the pitch whistling in the stadium to me." "I've just learnt how to deal with those type of things, not take it too seriously or too much to heart, just get on with it, it's football, something that you love doing and you just need to give your best and sometimes that's all you can do." Asked whether he would change anything about his time at the club though, Bale replied: "No, I don't have any regrets." When Bale joined Real Madrid at the age of 24, it was in a record-breaking transfer deal. During his time with the club, he achieved remarkable success, including winning four titles and two championships, along with numerous other major trophies.

Before the celebrated sporting son of Whitchurch in Cardiff stepped onto the stage, Wales had only ever reached the finals of one major tournament - the 1958 World Cup. By the time he departed, he had led the 'golden generation' to two European Championships - including the historic summer of Euro 2016 - and the 2022 World Cup. But looking back at his career stats, just how great an influence did Bale have on the pitch? And how much of a loss will he be to the squad? The simple facts already paint a clear picture: 111 caps, 41 goals - both records for the Wales men's team - and resounding success at club level too. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more Champions League final goals than Bale's three; the Welshman's magical winner in the 2014 Copa del Rey remains Real Madrid's only triumph in the competition in the last decade; and he departed Spain with three league titles and 81 La Liga goals under his belt. But it was in the red of Wales that his influence was undoubtedly greatest. Over the course of his international career he scored, on average, every 210 minutes that he was on the pitch. His additional 22 assists mean that overall he was directly involved in a goal per 137 minutes - in other words, every game and a half. The reliance on his goals was clear, despite grumblings when the media or rival fans occasionally referred to Wales as a 'one-man team'. When he was on the pitch Bale scored a third of the team's goals, and his overall goal involvements contributed to...