Gareth Bale to LAFC in Major League Soccer as Real Madrid contract ends

Gareth Bale, the captain of Wales, has decided to sign a free transfer to Los Angeles FC of the MLS.

Bale, a forward, departed Real Madrid after nine years in Spain and is now a free agent.

The five-time Champions League victor had been linked to a transfer to Cardiff and a return to Tottenham Hotspur. However, Bale's agents have declared that a transfer to LAFC is imminent.

This Bale news comes after LAFC acquired Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini earlier this month; Bale, who joined Real Madrid in 2013 for a cost of £85 million.

As Bale's Real Madrid contract is up, the team would be left with an available Designated Player spot. The transfer would be completed using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM), as reported by MLSSoccer.com.

The MLS club has yet to issue an official statement. Still, earlier this week, it posted a cryptic message on Twitter asking, "Any guesses? "along with a GIF of LAFC's international mail.

If Wales didn't make it to the 2022 World Cup, there were rumours that Bale might retire from playing.

The main uncertainty around Bale's future was which club he would join after Robert Page's team secured their spot in Qatar by defeating Ukraine in their World Cup play-off final earlier this month.

Fans thought Gareth Bale had other plans

Bale thrilled Cardiff supporters by stopping at the Vale of Glamorgan base on last week's opening day of preseason practice. 

Following remarks that the calibre of football he played before the World Cup should not be a deciding factor in any move, the Wales captain stoked speculation that he could prefer being closer to home.

It is said that Bale had several options available to him, with his last team Tottenham and wealthy Newcastle being mentioned as prospective destinations.

Bale recently told media persons, "I don't know if the standard makes too much of a difference. A football game is a football game. I feel like I'll never really lose my quality on the ball. I guess it's a conversation to be had."

"I need time to think what's the best move for me, my family, my kids, and hopefully, we'll sort that over the summer. I have options."

However, he is moving to the Major League Soccer (MLS), whose season lasts from February to October and whose secondary transfer window opens on July 7.

Bale's move to MLS is expected to include an option for an 18-month contract extension, and he would join former Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini in the LAFC squad.

With 19 regular-season games remaining, LAFC, former USA international Steve Cherundolo coaches, is leading the MLS' Western Conference.

The season-ending MLS Cup final will be contested on November 5—16 days before Wales' World Cup campaign gets underway with a match against the United States—following the end-of-season play-offs.

Bale won the Champions League five times and the LaLiga three times during his eight seasons at Real Madrid. Following a $106 million transfer from Tottenham before the 2013–14 season, he scored 97 goals in LaLiga (80) and the Champions League (17).

Injury, however, derailed his final season with the team, and he played in just seven matches for Madrid, starting four of them.

He played an essential role in the team's debut season, scoring in the Champions League and Copa del Rey final victories while establishing a lethal front three with Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Bale scored twice in the 2018 Champions League final against Liverpool, including a stunning overhead kick. Still, by then, his injury issues had worsened, and his relationship with Zinedine Zidane, the team's manager, had started to deteriorate.

Bale returned to Madrid to take on a limited role under coach Carlo Ancelotti after spending the 2020–21 season on loan at Tottenham, where he netted 11 goals in the Premier League. Bale was benched for the Champions League final in Paris last month.

In November, Bale will play for Wales at the World Cup, which begins on November 21 with a match against the United States.