Gareth Bale calls it a day on his professional football career. The 33-year-old is a beloved figure in Welsh football who made a name for himself in his 17-year career playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and Real Madrid in La Liga.
Bale announced his retirement on Twitter. He thanked everyone who followed and supported his journey through two of Europe’s top leagues. The 2022 FIFA World Cup and MLS season turned out to be his final competitions as a professional footballer.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have realised the dream of playing the sport I love,” Bale wrote. “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.”
Bale went on to thank his former clubs, which include Southampton in the Championship and LAFC in the MLS. He also thanked his former coaches, staff members, teammates, and family members for supporting his dreams of professional football that began at nine.
The Incredible Legacy of Gareth Bale
Plenty of OKBET’s football betting crowd will remember Bale’s rise from a left-back for Southampton in the Championship to a star winger in Tottenham. He bagged 43 goals and 20 assists through 143 appearances during his stint at White Hart Lane.
Bale was sold to Real Madrid in 2013 for a then-record transfer fee of €101 million. He spent seven seasons as a Galactico, where he was beloved for his knack for scoring goals. While he fell out of favor with Zinedine Zidane, he finished his Madrid career with 80 goals, 40 assists, two La Liga titles, and five Champions League trophies.
Bale returned to Tottenham for a season-long loan spell where he contributed 11 goals and two assists to Spur’s seventh-place finish. He then finished his club career with LAFC, where he helped the team win the MLS with a dramatic finish.
He was equally impressive in his stint for Wales, where he was first called to the senior squad in 2005. The former Wales captain won 108 caps for the Dragons, scoring 41 goals in the process.
Gareth Bale will be remembered as one of his generation’s best wingers. Tottenham and Real Madrid fans will always cherish the beautiful goals he created for their clubs. Welsh football will also miss him as one of the best footballers the country has ever produced.
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