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Wales fans prepare emotional send-off for retired Gareth Bale ahead of Euro 2024 qualifier

Wales fans are set to give Gareth Bale a special send-off after the legendary forward announced his retirement from football. Bale will be present at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday night for Wales’ match against Latvia, with the Red Wall bidding farewell to their former captain ahead of kick-off. The Euro 2024 qualifier is the first Wales home game since Bale’s retirement in January, and the 33-year-old is expected to be the subject of a pre-match presentation in which he will address the sell-out crowd.

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid star won 111 caps for Wales, shining during their historic Euro 2016 campaign, before captaining his country at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Bale scored 41 goals for Wales, making him the men’s side’s record goalscorer and widely considered one of the best Welsh players of all time.

His appearance comes after Rob Page’s side proved there was life after their former skipper, as they earned a crucial draw away to Croatia on Saturday, with Nathan Broadhead scoring a dramatic equaliser in the dying moments of their opening game of the qualifying campaign. Bale announced his retirement in January with an emotional statement in which he expressed gratitude for the moments he had in a Wales shirt.

“I feel incredibly fortunate to have realised my dream of playing the sport I love. It has truly given me some of the best moments of my life. The highest of highs over 17 seasons, that will be impossible to replicate, no matter what the next chapter has in store for me,” Bale wrote. “Playing for and captaining my country 111 times has truly been a dream come true.”

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