The only thing on Gareth Bale’s countrymen’s thoughts since he contributed to Wales’ participation in the World Cup for the first time since 1958 has been which club he would sign with and play for in order to get ready for the competition.
The solution was revealed on Saturday: Bale, 32, has decided to join Los Angeles F.C. in Major League Soccer after his Real Madrid contract expired and he briefly considered moving back to his hometown. This move will give him regular playing time, lots of sunshine, and up to five straight months of games to improve his form before the World Cup begins in late November in Qatar.
On its social media channels on Saturday, L.A.F.C. hinted at an international signing but did not name the player. However, an M.L.S. representative who was aware of Bale’s decision to join the league said that a formal announcement of his signing was shortly to come, possibly as soon as Sunday.
Bale expressed his intention to leave Spain once his Real Madrid contract expired this summer, and has since been available as a free agent to any team. He was a five-time Champions League champion with Madrid, which had acquired him in 2013 for what was then a world-record fee of 100 million euros (just over $105 million). However, in recent years, he had lost his place at the club, playing sparingly, openly fighting with the players and supporters, and refusing any attempts to leave.
Bale had recently toyed with the idea of moving to his hometown club Cardiff City before deciding to sign with M.L.S. and Los Angeles.
Bale was born in Cardiff, so a move back to Wales would have been both popular and meaningful, but Los Angeles may be a better fit for his World Cup training. Bale will have a consistent schedule of games from July through October thanks to M.L.S. moving its schedule forward this season to accommodate the World Cup. After that, there will either be a playoff push or a short break before the World Cup.
As of Saturday, L.A.F.C. had the best record in the league and is now atop the Western Conference standings. L.A.F.C. might become the favorite to win the M.L.S. Cup this fall with the addition of Bale and the seasoned Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, whose debut is scheduled for next week.
Bale might be in a position to make his new team’s debut on July 8 against the nearby Los Angeles Galaxy once his deal with the M.L.S. becomes official. Major historical events have taken place at that derby, called as El Tráfico in a wink at the city’s ongoing traffic headache: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a Swedish great, made his Major League Soccer debut in 2018 and scored one of the most iconic goals in league history.
But the World Cup will be Bale’s major priority. On November 21, the tournament’s first day, Wales kicks off play. that day’s opponent for it? United States.
