Gareth Bale, Wales captain, has announced his retirement from football at the age of 33, following a glittering career.
With 111 caps, the country’s most-capped men’s player announced his decision on social media.
Bale is arguably Wales’ greatest ever footballer, having won the Champions League five times with Real Madrid.
“I announce my immediate retirement from club and international football after careful and thoughtful consideration,” Bale said.
“I consider myself extremely fortunate to have realized my dream of playing the sport I adore.”
Cardiff-born Bale’s club career spanned Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, and Real Madrid before landing in Los Angeles.
He was his country’s talisman in their Euro 2016 and 2020 campaigns before leading Wales to their first World Cup since 1958 in Qatar in 2022.
Wales exited the tournament at the group stage, with their loss to England proving to be Bale’s final appearance.
It was an unjust end for a player who had accomplished so much for both club and country.
“It (football) has truly provided me with some of the best moments of my life,” Bale added.
“No matter what the next chapter has in store for me, the highest of highs over 17 seasons will be impossible to replicate.”
Bale joined Southampton as a schoolboy and made his Saints debut in April 2006 as a 16-year-old.
His first senior cap came just a few weeks later, making Bale Wales’ youngest international – a record that has since been broken.
That was the beginning of a Wales career in which Bale inspired his country to its best spell in history.
Wales produced a sensational run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016, ending a 58-year wait for a major tournament appearance by qualifying for the tournament.