The Welsh football icon has announced his retirement from the sport, sharing his decision across two social posts that resonated with fans around the world.
Gareth Bale, the former Real Madrid star now with Los Angeles FC, confirmed his retirement from both club and international football. The message also reflected on his time with Southampton and Tottenham, and he expressed deep gratitude to the fans who stood by him at every club and across the Wales national team.
BALE’S CAREER AT REAL MADRID
Why did Gareth Bale leave football?
In his letter, Bale suggests that his choice to step away stems from the reality that he can no longer perform at the level he once did. He wrote about the difficulty of surpassing seventeen seasons at the highest level, noting how challenging it would be to replicate those years in whatever the next chapter brings. This sentiment appeared in one of his two social posts.
The messages on which Bale announced his retirement from football
The letter addressed to his fans:
After careful and thoughtful reflection I am announcing my immediate retirement from both club and international football. I feel incredibly fortunate to have realized my lifelong dream of playing the game I love. It has given me some of the best moments of my life and has kept me at the pinnacle of the sport for seventeen seasons, a run that will be impossible to match no matter what the future holds.
From my first appearance for Wales at Southampton to my final game with LAFC, I have built a club career I am deeply proud of. Representing my country 111 times and serving as captain has been a dream come true.
My gratitude to all who played a part in this journey is immense. I owe countless people a debt of gratitude for guiding me and shaping my career in ways I could never have imagined when I began at the age of nine.
I want to thank my clubs: Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid, and finally LAFC. I am grateful to all my managers and coaches, the staff, teammates, and the fans, to my agents, friends, and family. The impact of these relationships has been immeasurable.
I want to thank my parents and my sister. Without their dedication in the early days and the solid foundation they provided, I would not be writing this message today, so thank you for guiding me on this path and for your unwavering support.
I want to thank my wife and children, whose love and support have kept me grounded through every high and low. They have inspired me to improve and to make them proud.
Now I am moving into the next phase of my life. This marks a period of change and transition, an opportunity for a new adventure…
Farewell to the Wales team
My decision to retire from international football has been the toughest choice in my career.
How does one describe what it means to wear the Welsh shirt and be part of this national team? How can words capture the impact it has had on my life? Each time I put on that Welsh jersey, a powerful emotion takes hold—one that words alone cannot fully convey. I know everyone involved in Welsh football feels that magic and shares that same sense of wonder.
My journey on the international stage has changed me in profound ways. Being Welsh and having the privilege to play and captain Wales has offered something beyond compare. I am humbled and honored to have contributed to the history of this remarkable nation, to have felt the fervent support of the red wall, and to have traveled with teammates to incredible places.
Locker rooms became brothers, staff became family, coaches inspired, and the unwavering support of the most devoted fans in the world kept us going. Thank you to each of you for sharing in this journey.
So for now I step back, yet I do not walk away from the team that lives inside me and runs through my veins. The dragon on my shirt remains a symbol of what I carry forward.