Soccer

The highs and lows of Gareth Bale as Wales captain announces his retirement

He’s won the Champions League on five occasions and led Wales to the World Cup

Wales captain Gareth Bale has announced his retirement from club and international football. Photograph: PA
Wales captain Gareth Bale has announced his retirement from club and international football. Photograph: PA
Mon Jan 09 2023 - 17:44

Wales captain Gareth Bale has announced his retirement as a player for both club and country.

The 33-year-old is his country’s most-capped player with 111 appearances and won the Champions League five times with Real Madrid.

Here we take a look back at the highs and lows of Bale’s career ...

High – Aged 16 years and 315 days, he became the youngest player to represent Wales, setting up Rob Earnshaw’s winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Trinidad and Tobago on his international debut in 2006.

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Low – After being named Football League Young Player of the Year, playing left-back in his breakthrough season, he sustained an injury on his final Southampton appearance as the club suffered defeat to Derby in the Championship play-offs.

Low – Moved to Tottenham for a fee potentially rising to £10 million in 2007, but the club failed to register a win during his first 24 Premier League appearances.

High – After going more than two-and-a-half years without scoring, a spell which included the first red card of his career, Bale struck winning goals in successive matches as Spurs beat London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea in April 2010.

High – A sensational Champions League hat-trick in a 4-3 loss to Inter Milan at San Siro in October 2010 confirmed his status as one of Europe’s top stars.

High – Netted 21 Premier League goals during the 2012-13 season, helping earn a world-record £85 million move to Madrid.

High – Notched his first El Clasico goal against Barcelona to secure Copa del Rey glory before becoming the first Welshman to score in a Champions League final by heading home in the 4-1 extra-time success over Atletico Madrid.

High – In 2016 he lifted the Champions League trophy for a second time after scoring in a penalty shoot-out as Real once again defeated city rivals Atletico in the final.

High – Scored three times at Euro 2016 as Wales enjoyed a fairy-tale run to the semi-finals of the competition in France, upsetting Belgium along the way.

Low – In November 2016 he was ruled out for around four months after damaging ankle tendons in a Champions League clash with Sporting Lisbon.

High – Returned from injury to help Real become La Liga champions for the first time in five years.

Low – Despite capping the 2016-17 season with a third Champions League title in his hometown of Cardiff, the success was bittersweet on a personal level as he was only a late substitute in the final against Juventus.

High – Surpassed Ian Rush as Wales’ record goalscorer following a hat-trick against China in March 2018. He scored 41 goals for his country.

High – Again left as a substitute for a Champions League final, but this time Bale came off the bench to score a brace for Madrid – including a stunning overhead kick – to earn a 3-1 victory over Liverpool in Kyiv.

Low – Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus, he enjoyed a prolific 2018-19 season but Real disappointingly finished third in La Liga for the second year in a row, 17 points adrift of champions Barcelona.

Low – In the summer of 2019, Real boss Zinedine Zidane announced he was willing to let Bale leave the Bernabeu but insisted it was “nothing personal”.

Low – The Welshman had angered Madrid supporters by pretending to fall asleep while sat on the bench during Real’s 2-0 win against Alaves in July 2020. He was left out for the trip to the Etihad Stadium by Zidane, with the manager claiming Bale chose not to be part of the squad.

High – Having returned to Tottenham on a season-long loan in September 2020, Bale scored his first goal back at the London club when stepping off the bench in a 2-1 home win against Brighton.

High – Netted a hat-trick for Tottenham against Sheffield United and struck two more in a 4-2 win at Leicester on the final day of the 2020-21 season.

High – Captained Wales at Euro 2020 and made two assists as Wales reached the round of 16 with a 2-0 win against Turkey.

[ 'He’s never let us down’ - Gareth Bale rescues Wales again in USA draw ]

High – The forward proved inspirational for Wales as they qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1958. Scored both goals in a 2-0 play-off semi-final win against Austria and his deflected free-kick in the play-off final against Ukraine secured his country a place at Qatar 2022.

Low – Made just seven appearances for Madrid during the 2021-22 season and confirmed his exit from the club on Twitter in June 2022.

Low – After joining Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC in June 2022, restricted to 12 appearances and made only two starts, although he did help LA win the MLS Cup for the first time.