Soccer star Gareth Bale (33), whose contract with Real Madrid ended, has been decided to go to the U.S.
Bale posted a message on his SNS on the 26th (Korea Standard Time) saying, “See you soon, Los Angeles.” He also posted a photo of him wearing the LAFC uniform of the U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS).
Bale’s contract with Spain’s Real Madrid ended after the 2021-22 season. When Bale moved to Real Madrid in 2013, it drew a lot of attention as it recorded the highest transfer fee in soccer history (50085 million, about KRW 135.4 billion).
However, Bale and Real Madrid did not go smoothly. At first, he was on a roll as the team’s ace. He fired up his fighting spirit regardless of the competition. In particular, in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League final, he entered as a substitute and scored a winning goal and a wedge goal one after another, becoming the top contributor to the championship.
However, Bale spent more time suffering from injuries than playing on the ground. Controversy over his attitude continued. It was pointed out that he neglected to train and only fell in love with golf. There was also a feud with former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane.
Fans also turned their backs on him as he did not show any signs of trying hard despite receiving one of the team’s best weekly salaries. Last season, Bale made only seven appearances in La Liga and UCL, scoring one goal.
However, Bale has shown a completely different side to the Wales squad. He showed off his robustness by leading Wales to the World Cup finals for the first time in 64 years.
The once-flowing possibility of retirement has sunk below the surface with Wales’ World Cup berth. At the same time, attention was focused on Bale’s next destination.
Some said he will return to his former team Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League. It was also predicted that he would go to Cardiff City, the English Championship (second division), a Welsh-based team, to focus on the Welsh national team.
But Bale’s final choice was LAFC. LAFC is ranked first with 9 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses, and 30 points in the ongoing Western Conference this season.
Giorgio Kielini (37), a leading defender of Italy and Juventus, joined LAFC in June. South Korean national team fullback Kim Moon-hwan also played for the team from last year to early this year.
