Gareth Bale Reveals Heartbreaking Factor in Early Retirement
Gareth Bale has revealed how a family illness contributed significantly to his decision to retire from football earlier than expected at just 33 years old.
The iconic winger enjoyed one of modern football’s finest and most trophy-laden careers, which peaked during an incredibly successful yet divisive spell with Real Madrid. Having starred for Tottenham Hotspur, the legendary Wales international made the move to the Santiago Bernabéu in 2013 and proceeded to dazzle in Spain’s capital.
He won five Champions League titles, three La Liga crowns and the Copa del Rey prior to a late and brief career switch to Major League Soccer outfit LAFC, but Bale’s love of golf and perceived preference for representing Wales over Madrid ensured he was often slaughtered by Spanish media.
Many suggested such scrutiny was instrumental in his decision to hang up his boots at such an early age, but Bale has now revealed that his father suffering with illness was a major factor in his decision to call quits on his glistening career.
“My dad got ill and that played a massive role in my decision [to retire],” Bale 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.”
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Bale Brushes Off Spanish Scrutiny
Bale often found himself on the end of intense criticism in Madrid, but the fleet-footed Welshman never allowed such scrutiny to affect him. He let his performances do the talking.
“For the large part, I always kept myself well away from [criticism],” Bale said. “I never controlled my social media because you could have 100 posts, 99 are amazing and there’s one bad one you will fixate on.
“When I was 16 at Southampton, I read a bad article. It was just a match report but I remember that quite vividly—it affected my performance because I lost some confidence. But from a bad experience I learnt to stay away from it as much as I could because I knew what it can do to you mentally and physically.”
He added: “I got absolutely slaughtered [by the Spanish media]. I felt a bit hard done by because it all comes down to misinformation. I obviously don’t prioritise golf more than I do my country and my club and physically haven’t done one thing wrong.
“I look back at it now and it’s like, it is what it is. I can’t do anything about it. You have to laugh or you cry. So I laughed.”
Bale attributed his resilient personality to his parents, revealing: “My dad is very strong. The way he and my mum brought me up was like “no b******t”. They sacrificed a lot when I was growing up, traveling and giving up their weekends. It’s something I only understand now I’m a parent doing it with my son.
“But if I went to a game and I didn’t try, Dad was like, you can play s**t. I don’t care. You can play amazing. I don’t care. But if you don’t try, that’s not acceptable. I say it to my son now, he is only seven but trying is the only thing I require from you. It teaches you a lifelong lesson. You can’t just give up when you don’t like it or things aren’t going well.”
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