Gareth Bale sends goodbye message to LAFC after retirement

Gareth Bale has said his goodbyes to LAFC after his short but incredibly sweet time at the club came to an end.

The Welsh star announced his retirement last week following a glittering career full of trophies, goals, and huge moments.

Bale's club career concluded in typical fashion, scoring the latest goal in MLS history to take LAFC's clash with the Philadelphia Union at MLS Cup into a penalty shootout, which the Black and Gold won to lift the trophy for the first time.

The 33-year-old was at Banc of California Stadium barely over six months, playing just 13 games, but he more than made his presence felt.

After calling time on his playing career, Bale recently visited the LAFC training facility to say his goodbyes to the club and his teammates.

"Hi all LAFC fans and 3252. I just want to say thank you for my welcome, being here in LA,” Bale said in a video posted on LAFC's social media channels. “It’s been an amazing experience and to win the MLS Cup together and create lasting memories is something I’ll never forget. So thank you very much.”

Though he didn't take a penalty in the shootout, Bale's MLS Cup goal will undoubtedly go down as the most important and iconic in LAFC history - not least given it came in the 128th minute of the match.

Bale went on to represent Wales at the World Cup in Qatar, scoring his nation's only goal at the tournament in a 1-1 draw with the United States, though they didn't manage to escape Group B.

Nevertheless, the forward's club career went out on a high, just as it deserved to given his contributions to Real Madrid's success over the last decade.

“There’s nothing even close to Gareth’s goal in terms of historical moments at LAFC,” LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington said last week.