The former Tottenham and Real Madrid striker has remained silent until now. Wales’ big son Gareth Bale has opened up about his decision to retire at the age of 33.
Bale surprised many in January 2023, when he decided to announce his immediate retirement from both club and national team football, just weeks after captaining Wales at the World Cup.
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The former Southampton, Tottenham, and Real Madrid striker, who joined MLS side LAFC in June 2022 on a 12-month contract, released a statement on his social media pages to confirm the news.
Here, an emotional Bale described the decision as “by far the hardest of my career” while talking about representing the Welsh national team.
“How do I describe what it means to me to be a part of this country and this team? How do I communicate the impact it has had on my life? How do I find words for the feeling I had, every single time I put on the Welsh shirt?” he said.
“My answer is that I couldn’t possibly do any of these things right, just with words.”
More than two years later, Bale has revealed for the first time that his father’s deteriorating health played a big part in his retirement, as it made him reconsider what really mattered beyond football.
“My father got sick, and that played a huge role in my decision (to retire),” he told GQ Magazine. “People don’t know what someone is going through at home, but I soon realized that there’s more to life than just football.”
Bale also opened up about keeping a low profile since his retirement.
“Our children, our lives, our marriages, our family, our friends, these things are most important,” he said. “The things you were so worried about in football, I now look back on and laugh about, but at that point you get anxious, you get nervous, you don’t enjoy it.”
“Watching my son play football is one of my favorite things to do,” Bale continued.
“Just seeing him, and him looking over at me, basically takes me back to when my dad was looking at me. It’s just nice to be there and just watch. My daughter and her riding too – watching them grow and watching them enjoy things.”
Bale had a trophy-filled 17-year career that included five Champions League titles and three La Liga titles.
After coming through the youth ranks at Southampton, he became the second-youngest player ever to play for the Saints at the age of 16 years and 275 days.
He joined Spurs in the summer of 2007 and eventually made 166 appearances for the north London-based club before joining Real Madrid in a then-world record deal of £85.3 million.
Gareth Bale ended his career with a goal in the 127th minute for LAFC in their MLS Cup win against Philadelphia.
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Gareth Bale spends his time playing golf, spending time with his family, investing in things he enjoys and travelling around being a superstar.
