Wales star Gareth Bale has announced his retirement from football at the age of 33, putting an end to an amazing career in which he became his country’s most-capped men’s player and won a slew of medals with Real Madrid.

“I announce my immediate retirement from club and international football after deep and thorough thinking,” Bale stated in a statement on Monday.

“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,” the Los Angeles FC forward added.

“No matter what the next chapter has in store for me, the greatest of highs throughout 17 seasons will be hard to repeat,” he stated.

Bale, a five-time Champions League champion with Real Madrid, is one of the greatest players to have ever represented Wales, appearing in a record 111 games.

He guided Wales to their first World Cup since 1958 in Qatar 2022 as captain and talisman. This followed previous victories that saw the nation qualify for the 2016 and 2020 European championship tournaments, partly due to Bale’s brilliance.

His 41 goals placed him 13 goals ahead of great striker Ian Rush on Wales’ all-time men’s scoring list.