GARETH BALE is considering retirement after he sees out the final year of his contract at Real Madrid.
Bale is due to return to Spain after his loan spell at Tottenham and it has been claimed the 31-year-old is ready to call time on his career in 12 months.
Spanish title AS say the Welsh international is now going through the process of starting to wind down his playing career – and that has already impacted on how he has performed back at Spurs.
The winger made no secret of the fact he only agreed to the loan switch in order to ensure he was fit enough to lead the Wales challenge in the Euros this summer.
Being fit for the international game has been so central to his thoughts that it has meant he has picked and chosen when he was able to play at club level this season.
It has emerged Bale drew up his own individual training plan which has seen him only take part in three work-outs a week – one of them being a recovery session.
And he has decided that there was no chance of playing three matches in a week, which has limited his availability for Jose Mourinho and latterly Ryan Mason when it comes to team selections.
It was not until late February that he even made back to back appearances for Spurs because he was so conscious of protecting his muscles from being overworked.
And caretaker boss Mason admitted after the game against Aston Villa in midweek that he would not be starting Bale because the player himself had decided he should not play.
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Mason said: “Gareth is an experienced man and knows his body. We spoke to each other and he thought it was best for him and his fitness not to start today.”
And the report in Spain suggests the player has made no secret within the dressing room at Spurs that he will return to Madrid for a year, and then look to retire once his £650,000-a-week deal ends in 2022.
Tottenham end their season with a trip to Champions League-chasing Leicester when anything less than victory would mean they miss out on the Europa League.’
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
