‘Unforgettable’: Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti pays tribute to Gareth Bale after his retirement

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has paid tribute to Gareth Bale following the Welshman’s retirement from football.

The former Santiago Bernabéu star has ended his illustrious career in which he won five Champions Leagues, three LaLiga titles and three Club World Cups.

Bale’s last season at the Spanish giants saw him cut from the squad for Ancelotti, but the Italian still has fond memories of the Welshman as he took to Twitter to give his reaction to the news.

Carlo Ancelotti has paid tribute to Gareth Bale after the Welshman’s retirement from football

Ancelotti posted a photo of Bale hitting the ball against Marc Batra, ahead of his impressive goal against Barcelona in the 2014 Copa del Rey final.

Along with the image, the 63-year-old wrote: ‘Unforgettable. Thank you @GarethBale11.’

It was Ancelotti who originally signed Bale from Tottenham for what was then a world record fee of £86m in 2013.

Bale’s first two seasons at the club, under Ancelotti, were highly successful, scoring 39 goals in 92 appearances across all competitions.

Ancelotti posted this photo of Bale beating Marc Bartra before scoring his incredible goal in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona in 2014, during Ancelotti’s first spell at the club.

After being a regular for Ancelotti in his first spell, he was left out of the team when the Italian returned.

Ancelotti was relieved of his duties after Barcelona clinched the LaLiga and Champions League titles in 2014-15, inspired by his deadly trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez.

Meanwhile, Bale was part of Madrid’s prolific trio alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, playing a major role in helping them win five Champions League trophies.

However, by the time Ancelotti returned to Madrid in 2021, Bale was already on the wane at the club.

He had just returned from a year on loan at Tottenham and had fallen out of favor with the club and its supporters.

Ancelotti would start with Bale in the first three games of the 2021-22 season, but he would only start one more LaLiga game all season due to injuries and lack of form.

Real Madrid described Bale as ‘one of the great legends of the club’ despite his problems with the Welshman in his last years at the Santiago Bernabéu

Real Madrid described Gareth Bale as ‘one of the great legends of the club’ when they officially reacted to the player’s announcement of his retirement from football.

The club said it wanted to show its ‘gratitude, admiration and affection’, in the statement that came shortly after the former Wales international confirmed his resignation.

Listing his 19 trophies, he continued: “Gareth Bale was part of our team in one of the club’s most successful periods and gave us some of the best memories that will never be forgotten.”

The club’s statement was also based on that iconic goal scored with a run from the halfway line in the 2014 Copa del Rey final, and the Chilean goal against Liverpool.

The statement concluded: ‘You will always be linked to the history of our club. Best of luck Gareth and best wishes to you and your family.