GARETH BALE has retired from club and international football as the most successful Brit in the Champions League.
The Welsh winger made the announcement on social media as he ended his career aged 33.
Bale is the most successful British person in the Champions League history
ReutersGareth Bale scored a vital goal in his first Champions League final victory[/caption]
The TimesBale earned his fifth Champions League medal last year as Madrid beat Liverpool[/caption]
Bale enjoyed a brilliant career in which he was a star in North London for Tottenham, but it was following his move to Real Madrid that he stamped his name in football’s history books.
The winger helped Madrid win five Champions League titles during his time in Spain.
This record means that he is the most successful Brit in the competition’s history.
Here are the five most successful Brits in the Champions League
5. Terry McDermott (3 trophies)
The former Liverpool midfielder was part of the squad that dominated football in the late 1970s and 1980s.
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He won the competition three times, the two victories came in 1977 and 1978.
McDermott then won his third European Cup in 1981.
4. Phil Thompson (3 trophies)
The 68-year-old was also in the team with McDermott that won three European Cups.
He captained Liverpool to their victory against Real Madrid in 1981.
3. Ray Clemence (3 trophies)
The man in goal for the legendary Liverpool side, Clemence made an important save in the 1977 final against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
He denied Ulrich Stielike in the second half with the scores at 1-1, before Liverpool went on to win the tie 3-1.
2. Phil Neal (4 trophies)
Liverpool’s most successful Champions League player, Neal won the tournament on four different occasions.
He won it in 1977, 1978, 1981, as well as in 1984, as the full-back helped the Reds beat Roma on penalties at the Stadio Olympico in Rome, Italy.
1. Gareth Bale (5 trophies)
AP:Associated PressHis most memorable final came against Liverpool in 2018, as he scored a brace to help Real Madrid to victory[/caption]
Bale won the prestigious competition five times with Real Madrid.
His first win came in 2014 as he scored Madrid’s go-ahead goal in extra-time as they beat Atletico Madrid 4-1 at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal.
Bale then scored in the shootout of the final in 2016 in what was a repeat of the 2014 final against Atletico Madrid.
Madrid and Bale would then go on to retain the Champions League for the following two years.
The first of which came at the Millennium Stadium in Wales as Madrid thrashed Juventus 4-1.
The following year would be Bale’s final, however, as he scored a brace which included a spectacular overhead kick against Liverpool during Madrid’s 3-1 win in the Olympic Stadium in Ukraine.
Bale would collect his fifth Champions League medal in 2022 as Madrid once again beat Liverpool in the final.
However, the Welshman had to watch from the bench as Brazilian Vinicius Jnr scored the only goal of the game.
