Gareth Bale Reveals Truth Behind Retirement Aged 33 in Candid Interview

Gareth Bale has opened up on his decision to retire at the age of 33.

Bale surprised many in January 2023, when he decided to announce his immediate retirement from club and international football, just weeks after captaining Wales at the World Cup.

The former Southampton, Tottenham and Real Madrid forward, who joined MLS side LAFC in June 2022 on a 12-month contract, released a statement on his social media pages to confirm the news.

Here, an emotional Bale described the decision as "by far the hardest of my career" as he spoke about representing the Wales national team.

"How do I describe what being a part of this country and team means to me? How do I articulate the impact it has had on my life? How do I put in to words the way I felt, every single time I put on that Welsh shirt?" he said.

"My answer is that I couldn't possibly do any of those things justice, simply with words."

Bale has opened up on his decision to retire at 33. Image credit: Getty

More than two years later and for the first time, Bale has revealed that his father's deteriorating health played a big factor in his retirement as it made him reassess what truly mattered beyond football.

“My dad got ill and that played a massive role in my decision (to retire),” he told GQ Magazine. “People don't know what anyone's going through at home but I soon realised there's more to life than just football.”

Bale also opened up on keeping a low profile since retiring.

“Our kids, our life, our marriage, our family, our friends, these things are most important," he said. "The things you were so worried about in football I now look back and laugh at it but at the time you get anxious, you get nervous, you don't enjoy it.”

"Watching my son play football is one of my favourite things to do," Bale continued.

"Just seeing him and him looking over, it basically takes me back to when my dad was watching me. It's just nice to be there and just watch it. My daughter’s horse riding too – watching them grow and watch 'em enjoy stuff."

Bale has dipped his toes into the world of punditry since retiring. Image credit: Getty

Bale enjoyed a trophy-laden 17-year career that featured five Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles.

After coming through the youth ranks at Southampton, he became the second youngest player ever to play for the Saints at the age of 16 years and 275 days.

He joined Spurs in the summer of 2007 and went on to make 166 appearances for the North London club before joining Real Madrid in a then-world record £85.3 million deal.

The 33-year-old ended his career with a 127th-minute goal for LAFC in their MLS Cup win against Philadelphia.