Gareth Bale has confirmed that he will not retire following Wales' qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The 32-year-old had considered whether to hang up his boots this summer after Real Madrid decided against renewing his contract.
The forward, who arrived in La Liga nine years ago for a British record fee worth £85million, enjoyed a fruitful spell at the Santiago Bernabeu, though he struggled to nail down a role in the Spanish side towards the latter stages of his tenure. Bale featured 258 times for Los Blancos, directly contributing to 173 goals.
He was a pivotal piece in the puzzle which saw Real Madrid become the first side to win the Champions League three years in a row. The Welshman spent many of his final years at the Bernabeu either plagued with injury, out of favour or on loan at Spurs, where he controversially admitted that he used a White Hart Lane return to build his fitness.
