Gareth Bale completes free transfer to new club after leaving Real Madrid: Reports

Gareth Bale has reportedly joined MLS side Los Angeles FC following the expiration of his current contract with Real Madrid.

The Welsh wizard has been at the Santiago Bernabeu for eight years, having joined the La Liga giants from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 for £90.9 million.

Bale, 32, has won the UEFA Champions League five times along with the La Liga title thrice during his stint in Spain.

The Welshman's time in Madrid is coming to an end and he is now headed to the United States for a new adventure. Fabrizio Romano reports that the 32-year-old has agreed to a one-year deal with Los Angeles FC.

Bale follows former Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini to the Banc of California Stadium, with both players set to join on July 1.

There has been much speculation over the Welshman's future with the likes of Cardiff City, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest all potential suitors.

Bale has opted to take up an opportunity in the MLS and joins a long list of former star players to have played their trade in the United States. Names such as David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Wayne Rooney and Thierry Henry have all been part of the MLS in the past.

Gareth Bale leaves Real Madrid after a successful stint

Gareth Bale is perhaps the greatest British player in La Liga history given the huge success he has carved out at Real Madrid. Along with the trophies he won at the Bernabeu, the Welshman's record of 106 goals and 67 assists in 258 appearances speaks for itself.

Although Gareth Bale has had to deal with being scrutinized by the Spanish media, having most recently been dubbed a 'parasite' by Marca, he has still managed to flourish.

The former Tottenham star will lead his Welsh national side into their first FIFA World Cup since 1958 later this year and he will now continue his club career in the MLS.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

Matthew always strives to go beyond a story and offer unique and lesser-known insights, while maintaining an unbiased tone in his articles. His reporting exploits at the company have helped him gain a humungous readership of 25 million, with one of his articles raking in a whopping 724,000 reads.

A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He also follows his local EFL League Two clubs AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United, and spends his free time watching and writing about professional wrestling. He also likes to work out, watch movies and go for night outs.

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Edited by Ritwik Kumar