Wales manager wants Bale to stay involved in international scene
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Wales manager Rob Page says he had spoken with Gareth Bale about his staying within the Wales set-up.
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Welsh football star Gareth Bale
Wales manager Rob Page said he wants Gareth Bale to stay involved in the international set-up after the star forward announced he was retiring from football.
Bale, a five-time Champions League winner at Real Madrid, ended a bright career on Monday after winning 111 caps and scoring 41 goals for his country.
The 33-year-old's decision to quit came after Wales' disappointing performance at the World Cup in Qatar.
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) January 9, 2023
Page revealed that Bale contacted him on Sunday to inform him of his decision to retire and said he was in full agreement with his captain.
"I told him I think it's the right time to bow out," he told the BBC. "You've just scored in a World Cup and got everything on your CV, what you've done for this country is unbelievable."
Page said he had spoken with Bale about his staying within the Wales set-up, although the exact nature of any potential role remains unclear.
"I would love him still to be involved in some capacity, what that role is I don't know yet," he expressed, adding that "it's a big adjustment for him, going into a normalish life, but we'll have another conversation with him in a few weeks."
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![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
