LAFC forward Gareth Bale announces retirement from professional football
Wales men’s all-time leading scorer, five-time Champions League winner, MLS Cup Champion, and LAFC forward Gareth Bale announces retirement from football as he ends his career midway through his LAFC contract that was set to expire this summer. Bale ends his 18-year legacy as one of the greatest to ever play the game.
“We want to thank Gareth for everything he brought to our Club,” said LAFC Co-President & General Manager John Thorrington as Gareth Bale announces retirement. “He arrived here with a goal to win championships in L.A., and like he has done everywhere else in his career, he succeeded. It was an honor 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 endeavors.”
After leaving Real Madrid where he played for nine years, Bale joined LAFC on June 27, 2022 at the age of 33. He made 13 game appearances and scored three goals for the Black & Gold and quickly claimed his status as a Club legend, scoring an equalizer during the 2022 MLS Cup when LAFC were a man down in the 128th minute of the match against the Philadelphia Union. Sending the game into penalty kicks, LAFC would later claim victory and the first MLS Cup for the franchise.
“After careful and thoughtful consideration, I announce my immediate retirement from club and international football,” said LAFC forward Gareth Bale in a statement. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have realized 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.”
As Gareth Bale announces retirement, we hope he succeeds in his future endeavors. Cheers to the Welsh winger.
