Gareth Bale announces retirement from all forms of football at 33
The legendary Welsh forward, who won five Champions League titles with Real Madrid and led Wales to their first tournaments in over 50 years, announced he would be retiring as a player at the age of 33.
"After careful and thoughtful consideration, I announce my immediate retirement from club and international football," he wrote via two statements on Twitter.
"I feel incredibly fortunate to have realised my dream of playing the sport I love. It has truly given me some of the best moments of my life.
"From my very first touch at Southampton to my last with LAFC and everything in between, shaped a club career that I have an immense pride and gratitude for.
"To my previous clubs, Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid and finally LAFC. All of my previous managers and coaches, backroom staff, teammates, all the dedicated fans, my agents, my amazing friends and family, the impact you have had is immeasurable."
Catching the eye at the age of 17 in Southampton's famed youth set-up, Bale moved to Tottenham in the summer of 2007 but made a slow start to life in London.
Prior to Harry Redknapp's arrival, he famously endured a winless run of 24 games in the Premier League when featuring for the first team.
Once that run was broken by Redknapp, who would then move the young Welsh left back into a more attacking role, his career blossomed.
Goals and assists soon followed before a stunning second-half hat trick for Spurs against Inter Milan in the Champions League - with the winger mercilessly outplaying a much revered Maicon at right back - cemented his place as a serious talent in European football.
After 55 goals in 203 appearances for Tottenham, as well as winning the PFA Players' Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year after his excellent showing in the 2012–13 season, Bale moved to Real Madrid for a then-world record fee of £85.3 million.
After a slow start to life in Spain, Bale finally announced himself to Madrid fans with his infamous goal against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey Final of 2014, completing a blistering run from the halfway line to score one of the many incredible highlight reel goals of his career.
Bale became the first Welshman to score a goal in a European Cup/Champions League final with his extra-time winner against rivals Atletico Madrid in the 2014 UEFA Champions League final, securing a tenth European Cup for Los Blancos.
He scored arguably one of the greatest goals in Champions League history with his overhead kick against Liverpool in the 2017/18 final and would go on to win five Champions League medals with Real, as well as three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, one Supercopa de Espana, three Super Cups and three Club World Cups.
However, his attitude and performances often upset his fans at club level, with his infamous "Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order" antics drawing heaps of criticism and toxicity from Madrid fans, often resulting in his accomplishments for the club being overlooked.
At international level, it's hard to argue against his case as being one of Wales' - and Great Britain's - greatest-ever players.
He took Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 in their first tournament appearance in decades, as well as driving them to Euro 2020 and his country's first World Cup appearance since 1958 as Wales qualified for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
He scored Wales' first and only goal of the tournament in their opening game against the USA, rescuing a point, although Wales would go on to be eliminated during the group stage.
Bale has described the decision to quit international football as "by far the hardest of my career".
"My journey on the international stage is one that has changed not only my life, but who l am," he said of his international career in a second post.
"How do I describe what being a part of this country and team means to me?
"The fortune of being Welsh and being selected to play for and captain Wales, has given me something incomparable to anything else I've experienced.
"I am honoured and humbled to have been able to play a part in the history of this incredible country, to have felt the support and passion of the red wall, and together have been to unexpected and amazing places.
"So for now I am stepping back, but not away from the team that lives in me and runs through my veins. After all, the dragon on my shirt is all I need."
He ends his career as Wales' all-time leading goalscorer with 41 goals in 111 appearances.
