Tottenham and Real Madrid legend Gareth Bale called time on his glittering playing career in January – just weeks after representing Wales at the World Cup in Qatar
An emotional Gareth Bale paid tribute to Wales fans after saying a fond farewell ahead of their game against Latvia on Tuesday night.
Former Wales captain Bale, 33, retired from professional football at the start of the year after leading his country at the World Cup in Qatar. He will be remembered as one of the greatest Welsh players of all time – thanks in part to his stunning international career.
Bale made his first appearance in front of the Wales supporters since announcing his retirement on Tuesday night, as he received a commemorative World Cup cap in Cardiff. He also received a thunderous applause from the fans, who chanted his “Viva Bale” song.
“Hello, I just want to say… what an honour it has been to represent this country and to play in front of the best fans in the world,” said Bale – who represented Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid and Los Angles at club level – while fighting back the tears.
“You support me and my family and all the team through the lows and the lows, the highs and the highs. I can’t thank you enough and, honestly, it’s been the biggest pleasure playing in front of you for my whole career. Obviously I’m going to miss playing in front of you.
“But make sure you keep supporting the boys. You, the fans, are Welsh football; you make it so special; you make it what it is today and obviously I’ll be cheering on like you lot and hopefully see you soon in the future, so thank you.”
Gareth Bale could re-join Robert Page’s Wales set-up in some capacity ( Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
The last part of Bale’s statement is interesting, as the former winger is believed to be considering joining Robert Page’s backroom staff. Wales boss Page said in January, “I’ve had that conversation but I would love him still to be involved in some capacity.
“Now what that role is, we don’t know yet. “He just needs some time with his family. It’s a big adjustment for him, training every day to go into a normal-ish life and doing the school run, but we’ll have another conversation with him in a few weeks.
“We’ll make a plan moving forward because he’s got so much to offer. Even his presence in the dressing room, the hotel environment is something I would be really keen on to keep him involved, but I’ll leave it up to Gareth and what suits him and his family.
“I think he would be keen as well… I’m sure the FAW [Football Association of Wales] would also be keen to keep Gareth involved in some capacity.”
Bale, who won the Champions League five times with Real Madrid, will be fondly remembered for what he achieved at international level The Cardiff-born star won is his country’s record scorer and appearance maker, scoring 41 goals in 111 senior caps.
Bale represented his country at Euro 2016, Euro 2020 and last year’s World Cup in Qatar. The latter was Wales’ first World Cup appearance since 1958. Bale’s finest hour at international level came in 2016, when he inspired Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 against all odds. That run included a famous victory against Belgium in the quarter-finals.
Src: mirror.co.uk
