Gareth Bale’s retirement from football ends an illustrious career where he often stood out on the grandest stage.
On Monday, the Welsh captain cited the reason for calling time on his career, at the age of only 33, was due to injuries preventing him from performing at his best.
Despite his relatively short career, Bale should go down as one of the best football players of all time.
And while that may sound like an exaggeration, Bale’s career path alongside his achievements indicate otherwise.
Starting out as a raw left-back for Southampton, Bale looked like most full-backs in the professional divisions of football.
He showed some attacking prowess at Southampton, which prompted Tottenham Hotspur to sign him in 2007 for the lowly figure of £5 million.
It was at Tottenham where Bale showed he had real potential to become something special. Still plying his trade at left-back, the pacey youngster showed his real skill was getting forward.
It is not often that a single performance can change the lives of a player but Bale’s display against Inter Milan in 2010 did just that.
Inter were up 4-0 in the first half of a Uefa Champions League match in October of 2010, cruising to the next round of the tournament.
However, Bale had other plans, scoring three goals in the second half as a 21-year-old to breathe life into Tottenham.
While Spurs may have lost the game, they realised they had a gem in Bale.
A gem so precious that three years later Real Madrid paid a world record fee of £77 million for the now attacking winger, after some breathtaking seasons at Tottenham.
It was in Spain where Bale flourished, scoring 81 goals in 176 outings for Los Blancos — winning three La Liga titles and five Uefa Champions League titles.
And it wasn’t just domestically where Bale stood out, ending his career as arguably the greatest Great British player following his achievements with Wales.
In scoring 41 goals in 111 outings, Bale captained Wales to the Fifa World Cup in 2022 after a 64-year hiatus at the showpiece.
The winger’s two goals in the semi-final playoff as well as a deflected free-kick cemented his Welsh legacy with what will now serve as his final bit of magic on the international stage.
Injuries, however, began to take their toll on Bale, who left Real Madrid to join Los Angeles FC in 2022, where he won the MLS Cup after levelling the game in the 128th minute in extra-time.
Los Angeles FC won their first-ever MLS Cup courtesy of Bale’s heroics, a lasting legacy for the man who thrived on the grandest stage.
Pictured above: Gareth Bale
Image source: Fifa
