Gareth Bale is set to be given a special send-off from Wales fans after announcing his retirement from football.
The legendary forward will be at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday night for Wales' clash with Latvia, with the Red Wall bidding farewell to their former captain ahead of kick-off. The Euro 2024 qualifier is the first Wales home game to be played since Bale announced his retirement in January, with the 33-year-old set to be the subject of a pre-match presentation which will see him address what is expected to be a sell out crowd.
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid star announced he was retiring from football with immediate effect earlier this year, having won 111 caps for Wales, shining during their historic Euro 2016 campaign before captaining his country at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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Bale also scored 41 goals for Wales, making him the men's side's record goalscorer, and is widely considered one of the best, if not the best, Welsh player of all time.
His appearance comes after Rob Page's side proved that there was life after their former skipper, as they earned a crucial draw away to Croatia on Saturday, with Nathan Broadhead grabbing a dramatic equaliser in the dying moments of their opening game of the qualifying campaign.
Announcing his retirement in January, Bale penned an emotional statement in which he said his time in a Wales shirt had been "a dream come true". He added: "I feel incredibly fortunate to have realised my dream of playing the sport I love. It has truly given me some of the best moments of my life. The highest of highs over 17 seasons, that will be impossible to replicate, no matter what the next chapter has in store for me.
"From my very first touch at Southampton to my last with LAFC and everything in between, shaped a club career that I have an immense pride and gratitude for. Playing for and captaining my country 111 times has truly been a dream come true.
"To show my gratitude to all of those that have played their part along this journey, feels like an impossibility. I feel indebted to many people for helping to change my life and shape my career in a way I couldn't have ever dreamed of when I first started out at 9 years old."
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