Gareth Bale Opens Up About the Devastating Reason Behind His Shocking Early Retirement
Gareth Bale has disclosed how a family health crisis played a crucial role in his unexpected decision to step away from professional football at the relatively young age of 33.
The Welsh superstar experienced one of the most illustrious and silverware-rich careers in contemporary football, reaching its zenith during a remarkably successful but controversial tenure at Real Madrid. After making his mark at Tottenham Hotspur, the celebrated Wales captain transferred to the Santiago Bernabéu in 2013 and subsequently mesmerized audiences in the Spanish capital.
During his time there, he secured five Champions League victories, three La Liga championships, and one Copa del Rey before making a final career move to MLS side LAFC. However, Bale's passion for golf and apparent prioritization of international duty over club commitments frequently made him a target for harsh criticism from Spanish press.
While many believed such media pressure was pivotal in his early retirement decision, Bale has now disclosed that his father's health struggles were a primary influence in his choice to end his brilliant playing 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."
Bale Brushes Off Spanish Scrutiny
Bale frequently faced harsh criticism during his Madrid years, yet the speedy Welsh forward refused to let such negative attention impact his game. He allowed his on-field displays to speak for themselves.
"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 credited his strong character to his parents, explaining: "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."