After five Champions League trophies and over 550 games - Garreth Bale retires at 33 years old

Wales and Los Angeles FC forward Gareth Bale has announced his retirement from domestic and international football at the age of 33. After reaching 111 caps for his international team and over 550 appearances for Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid and Los Angeles over the course of his career, the Cardiff born talent has decided to hang up his boots once and for all. 

"After careful and thoughtful consideration, I announce my immediate retirement from club and international football," wrote the LAFC forward in a social media post. "I feel incredibly fortunate to have realised my dream of playing the sport I love." He added: "It (football) 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 began his career at Southampton but was quickly picked up as a young player by Tottenham, where he burst on to the scene as an explosive wide player with the technical ability to match his remarkable speed. Over the course of six seasons at the club, Bale bagged 72 goals and 60 assists in 237 appearances before joining Madrid for a then world record €101 million. To date, it still stands as the third most expensive transfer of all time, behind Paul Pogba’s €105m move to Manchester United and Neymar’s €220m move to Paris Saint-Germain. 

At Madrid, Bale moved on to even greater heights and played a pivotal role in what will surely become to be known as one of the Spanish club’s greatest periods in European history. Over the course of eight seasons in the Spanish capital, Bale won no less than five Champions League trophies, along with three La Liga titles and two domestic cup competitions. 

However, in his later years at Los Blancos Bale found himself heavily criticised for seemingly reserving his best performances for Wales. Who the wide forward helped guide to a golden age of success, as they qualified for Euro 2016 and 2020, as well as the 2022 World Cup - the country’s first since 1958. "My decision to retire from international football has been by far the hardest of my career," Bale said. "I'm honoured and humbled to have been able to play a part in the history of this incredible country, to have felt the support and passion of the Red Wall and together have been to unexpected and amazing places.”