Los Angeles FC have paid tribute to Gareth Bale after the Welshman retired from professional football aged just 33 on Monday following a superb trophy-laden career.
Bale came through the Southampton youth academy setup and bagged a move to Tottenham aged just 18. The winger went on to become a world-class talent and ends his career with more than 550 appearances, 186 goals and 139 assists.
Spurs supporters will perhaps best remember the terrorising of Maicon against Inter in the Champions League, the endless long-range howitzers, the electric pace and the PFA Player of the Year double. A then-world record move to Real Madrid followed where Bale won the Champions League on five occasions.
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Bale returned to Spurs on loan for the 2020–21 season and his time at Madrid came to an end this summer, with the Wales hero moving to America to join MLS side LAFC.
He unsurprisingly cemented a new hero status Stateside. A 128th-minute header saw him pull LA level against Philadelphia Union in the MLS Cup final and they went on to win the match. Today, the club issued a statement after Bale's retirement.
“We want to thank Gareth for everything he brought to our club,” LAFC co-president & general manager John Thorrington said.
“He arrived here with a goal to win championships in LA, and, like he has done everywhere else in his career, he succeeded. It was an honour to have one of the most talented, dynamic and exciting players of his generation finish his career with a title for LAFC, and we wish Gareth, his wife Emma, and their family nothing but the best in their future endeavours.”
Bale's own statement can be read in full here.
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