Gareth Bale, who plays for the Wales national team, has joined LAFC (Los Angeles Football Club) from La Liga champions Real Madrid. He has a 12-month contract and it’s possible he plays there beyond 2024.
The 32-year-old will join LAFC as a free agent. In 2013, he joined the Spanish team Real from Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur for a record transfer fee of €100 million ($105.84 million).
Bale says he is extremely excited for the move to LAFC. He says it’s the right place for him and his family and it’s the right time in his career. He can’t wait to get started working with the team and winning more trophies in LA.
Although Bale had many injuries at Real Madrid, he won many trophies: 3 La Liga titles, 5 Champions Leagues, 3 Club World Cups, and the Spanish Cup.
The Welshman is best known for scoring twice in the 2018 Champions League final against Liverpool. He also scored the winning goal against Barcelona in the 2014 Copa del Rey final.
LAFC co-president and general manager, John Thorrington, says that Gareth is one of the most dynamic and exciting players of his generation. He also says that bringing Bale’s talent and experience to LAFC is an incredible opportunity to improve the club.
Gareth is very motivated to win more trophies and LAFC are excited that he decided to join the team to help win championships.
Although Bale was successful in Spain, the Spanish media often targeted him with negative comments. The media called him a “parasite” after he missed an important game against Barcelona, but played for Wales soon after. In April, some Real Madrid fans jeered him during a game.
Bale has helped bring Wales to the World Cup for the first time since 1958. Wales beat Ukraine in a playoff game in Cardiff at the beginning of June. Wales will play in Group B with England, the United States, and Iran. The event is in Qatar and starts in November this year.
Bale will join former Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at LAFC. Chiellini signed for the team this month after leaving Juventus. Bale and Chiellini might play their first games for LAFC on July 8 in a rivalry match against the LA Galaxy.
VOCABULARY
- Beyond – after, longer than
- Free agent – a sports player who has no team or contract
- Record – the best performance, the top score or most points
- Transfer fee – the fee or cost to buy a player from another team
- Trophy – medal, prize, award, cup, gift for winning something
- Injury – damage to the body, a wound, a broken body part
- Welshman – A person from Wales
- Dynamic – full of energy, makes change, a lot of movement
- Talent – skill, ability
- Opportunity – chance, possibility, opening
- Target – a person or thing that is the goal or aim of an attack
- Parasite – a small animal that lives on a bigger animal and needs them to survive
- Jeer – loud and rude words, to insult, to boo
- Former – previous, last, ex-
- Sign – to agree to work with, to join, to sign up for
- Rivalry – a strong competition, usually between teams in the same city or region
Original story from ESPN below:
