Gareth Bale Makes His Debut For LAFC And Skins An Opponent With His First Touch In The MLS

Gareth Bale has made an eye-catching debut for his new club Los Angeles FC after coming on as a late substitute in their win over Nashville.

Bale, 33, recently signed a one-year deal with the MLS side after leaving Real Madrid at the end of his contract at the Bernabeu.

The Wales captain was named as a substitute against Nashville on Sunday and was brought off the bench in the 72^nd minute, to the delight of both sets of supporters at GEODIS Park in Tennessee.

Just minutes after coming on, Bale produced a cheeky backheel that bamboozled an opponent and set up an LAFC attack.

He showed other glimpses of his talent during his brief appearance, as LAFC ran out 2-1 winners thanks to goals from Cristian Arango and Jose Cifuentes.

Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, who recently joined LAFC after leaving Juventus, also made his first appearance for the club.

Victory for LAFC kept them top of the MLS Western Conference, a point clear of Austin with a game in hand.

Not a bad first touch, @GarethBale11. 👀#NSHvLAFC 1-2 pic.twitter.com/7tUYFg8y2D

— LAFC (@LAFC) July 18, 2022

After the match, Bale stopped to sign shirts for fans and was seen applauding and pumping his fist in the direction of LA supporters near the tunnel.

"I was itching. As soon as I was on the bench I wanted to get off and help the team and play some minutes," said Bale after full-time.

"It's important for me individually as well to get my fitness going. Obviously it's the end of the season in Europe, so it was good to get some minutes and more importantly we got the three points. We're all happy."

Bale added: "I want to come in and do what I do, but also fit in to the team's style of play as well.

🗣 "I want to come in and do what I do but fit into the team style of play as well."

Gareth Bale on making his debut for LAFC after he came off the bench with 20 minutes remaining pic.twitter.com/KJU6oZqNSG

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) July 18, 2022

"It's going to take a little bit of time to get used to everything but I'm quite switched on in terms of football so I'm able to get up to speed quite quickly.

"Now it's just important to get some minutes and try and get as fit as possible. I'm just excited to get the season going for myself and try to help the team as much as I can."

Bale could make his first start for LAFC in their next match against Sporting Kansas City on Sunday.