Former Tottenham and Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale has announced his immediate retirement from the club and international football.
The Wales international confirmed the news on his social media platforms.
“After careful and thoughtful consideration, I announce my immediate retirement from club and international football,” Bale wrote.
“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 for me,” he continued.
After rising through the ranks of Southampton’s academy, Bale made a name for himself at Tottenham before earning a move to Real Madrid which made his transfer, at the time, the highest fee paid for a player.
At Real Bale experienced the heyday of his career, winning every major club honour there is. The forward helped his side win 5 Champions League titles, 3 La Liga crowns, 4 Club World Cups, 3 Spanish Super Cups and 1 Copa del Rey trophy.
He did not enjoy the best of ends to a career at Madrid after falling out with the club’s fans and coaches. After going away on loan deals, the 33-year-old last appeared for LAFC in America’s Major Soccer League.
His retirement also deprives Wales of its greatest football player, a side Gareth Bale represented 111 times while scoring 40 goals.
At just 33-years-of-age he walks away from the game at a relatively young age but with his well-documented love for golf, he may not be done in the sporting world yet.
