GARETH BALE has retired from club and international football as the most successful Brit in European Cup history.
The Welsh winger made the announcement on social media as he ended his career aged 33.
Bale enjoyed a brilliant career in which he was a star in North London for Tottenham, but it was following his move to Real Madrid that he stamped his name in football’s history books.
The winger helped Madrid win five Champions League titles during his time in Spain.
This record means that he is the most successful Brit in the competition’s history.
Here are the five most successful Brits in the European Cup/Champions League
5. Terry McDermott (3 trophies)
The midfielder was part of the Liverpool squad that dominated football in the late 1970s and 1980s.
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He won the competition three times, with his first two victories coming in 1977 and 1978.
McDermott then won his third European Cup in 1981.
4. Phil Thompson (3 trophies)
The 68-year-old was also in the team with McDermott that won three European Cups.
He captained Liverpool to their victory against Real Madrid in 1981.
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3. Ray Clemence (3 trophies)
Goalkeeper for the legendary Liverpool side, Clemence made an important save in the 1977 final against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
He denied Ulrich Stielike in the second half with the scores at 1-1, before the Reds went on to win the tie 3-1.
2. Phil Neal (4 trophies)
Liverpool’s most successful Champions League player, Neal won the tournament on FOUR different occasions.
He won it in 1977, 1978, 1981, as well as in 1984, as the full-back helped the Reds beat Roma on penalties at the Stadio Olimpico in the Italian capital.
1. Gareth Bale (5 trophies)
Bale won the prestigious competition five times with Real.
His first win came in 2014 as he scored Madrid’s go-ahead goal in extra-time as they beat city rivals Atletico 4-1 at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.
Bale then scored in the shootout of the final in 2016, a repeat of the 2014 final against Atleti.
Madrid and Bale retained the Champions League for the following two years.
In 2017 they thrashed Juventus 4-1 at the Millennium Stadium.
The following year was be Bale’s final, in which he scored a superb double against Liverpool during Madrid’s 3-1 win in the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, which included a spectacular overhead kick.
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Bale collected his fifth Champions League medal last year as Madrid once again beat Liverpool in the final.
However, the Welshman had to watch from the bench as Brazilian Vinicius Jr scored the only goal of the game.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
