Gareth Bale could only leave the national team. That’s why you have to retire from football! 33 years old is not such a big deal. At this age, many leave the national team and continue playing club football. But Gareth Bale is not a man made of metal.
This winger, one of the most successful in the history of British football, has announced his retirement from the club and international football today on social media.
In announcing his retirement on his verified account on Twitter, Bale wrote, “After much thought, I have decided to retire from the club and international football. I feel very lucky to be playing the sport I love. It has truly given me some of the best moments of my life. Whatever lies ahead, it’s impossible to get those 17 seasons back.’
Wales played in the World Cup for the first time since 1958 with Bale. Also played in the European Championship (Euro). Bale won the Champions League five times with Real Madrid from 2013 to 2022. He made his debut in the Welsh national team in 2006. In these 16 years, he has set the record for the highest number of matches (111) and the highest number of goals (41) for Welsh.
Gareth Bale has essentially reborn the Welsh in European football. The Welsh have played at the Euros twice in their time, including reaching the semi-finals of the 2016 edition.
Bale was introduced to the club’s first team in 2006, emerging from Southampton’s age scheme. The world watched Bale’s run on the wing after joining Tottenham Hotspur the following year. Then he joined Real Madrid and then formed the ‘BBC’ pair with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
Those days at Real gave Bale a permanent foothold in world football. Bale’s transformation from a typical left-back to a winger as well as forward terrorizing opposition defenses – those days at Real were the pinnacle of Bale’s transformation. Bell reached that ‘point’ by setting a record.
Real Madrid made the announcement on 1 September 2013. The club signed a six-year contract with Bell, a world record transfer! 10 million euros was then the record for the highest price in a team transfer. Real president Florentino Perez then said, “I wouldn’t have bought Bale if I had Neymar.” Neymar joined Barcelona in May of that year. Not getting him, Real wanted to buy Bale to “satisfy the taste of milk”. But what did Perez know then, you will taste nectar within a few days!
Bale didn’t get off to a good start in his first season at Real. Despite scoring on his debut against Villarreal, there were fitness issues. Spanish newspaper ‘Marca‘ wrote, ‘Bale doesn’t know how to play football’, but at the end of that season, Bale was Real’s ‘hero’ – scoring 22 goals in 44 matches across all competitions. But the greatness of Bell cannot be understood in these numbers.
Bale’s brace in Real’s 7-3 win over Sevilla that season was dubbed the ‘Canon’ by the Spanish press or his 25-yard free-kick against Galatasaray in the Champions League, or that ‘perfect hat-trick’ against Real Viodoli; Both feet and head goals!
Why do you have to remember the name of Gareth Bale
If you forget all this, remember Bale’s goal against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final that season? Got the ball in their own half and started running down the left wing. Barca defender Mark Batra came to stop him but could not keep up with Bell’s fire. Bale’s goal to ‘past’ (remove) Batra is regarded as one of the best of his career.
In fact, Bale’s time with the ‘BBC’ attack was the best of his career. After Ronaldo left Real in 2018, the ‘triple’ pair broke up. Playing together for five years, the star trio won four Champions Leagues and one La Liga. In Barcelona, there was a pair of ‘MSN’ made with Messi-Suarez-Neymar. Facing Real-Barca in El Clasico means facing these two ‘Triplea’ pairs. It was a different day in Spanish football! Bale is a representative of the days of Real Madrid when Real scored 442 goals in 658 matches from the ‘BBC’ attack when Bale and Benzema stood behind Bale and Benzema in front of Ronaldo, and the opposing goalkeeper would have lost sleep.
Bale’s final days at Real did not go well. Bratya was a long time. Returned on loan at Tottenham. Joined Los Angeles FC in June of last year. Bell did not play for this club of Major League Soccer after the World Cup. That match was the last competitive match in Bale’s career in the World Cup group stage against England on November 29. With 186 goals in 554 games in his club career, Bale is impossible to fathom. His 106 goals for Real are just a number. Bale will be remembered for his run on fire on the wing, and bicycle kick for that goal.
Bale also has no regrets at the time of farewell, “From the first touch of the ball in Southampton to Los Angeles, I have been able to build a career that I am very proud of.”
