Wales football star Gareth Bale announced on Monday his retirement from professional football at the age of 33 after 17 seasons. "I feel incredibly fortunate to have realized my dream of playing the sport I love. It has truly given me some of the best moments of my life," the winger said in a statement shared in a Twitter post.
Gareth Bale was named PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2011 and 2013, after which he transferred to Real Madrid for, at the time, a world record fee of over €100 million. He won multiple Champions League titles with the Spanish club between 2013 and 2021, and ended his career at the MLS club Los Angeles FC for which he played since July last year.
Bale earned 111 caps and scored 41 goals for the national team since his debut in 2006, becoming Wales' most capped player and top goalscorer.