Gareth Bale

MLSsoccer.com, the official website of MLS, claims the winger will join LAFC on a one-year contract using targeted allocation money.

That deal would expire next June, midway through the 2023 season.

Bale's Real Madrid contract expires this month, and he has been looking for a new club after guiding Wales to qualification for the 2022 World Cup.

The five-time Champions League winner has been widely linked with Cardiff City but instead appears set on a move Stateside.

Wales face the USMNT in their first group-stage match in Qatar.

Before then, Bale's signing would boost an LAFC team who already lead the Supporters' Shield race and have also secured Giorgio Chiellini ahead of the transfer window in MLS opening next month.

LAFC's first match after that date is El Trafico against rivals the LA Galaxy.

Southampton product Bale made a name for himself at Tottenham, but it was in nine years at Real Madrid he truly rose to stardom – although he had a turbulent time in the Spanish capital.

Despite playing starring roles in two Champions League finals and winning 16 trophies, Bale's time in Madrid turned sour long before he departed last June.

The versatile attacker famously paraded with a banner that read "Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order" in 2019 and that understandably did not go down well with Los Blancos fans.

Playing time continued to be limited at Los Angeles FC, but Bale scored an extra-time leveller in the MLS Cup final against Philadelphia Union, which his side won on penalties.

Yet for all his success at club level, it was arguably with Wales that Bale enjoyed his proudest moments, not least reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2016.

Bale also played a huge part in ending Wales' 64-year wait to qualify for the World Cup last year, with their group defeat to England proving to be his final game as a professional.

As the curtain comes down on Bale's playing days at the age of just 33, Stats Perform breaks down the numbers from a remarkable career.

Bale played 664 matches for club and country and scored 226 goals, the majority of those unsurprisingly coming for Madrid (106).

He also netted 41 times in 111 games for Wales, becoming his country's record goalscorer and cap holder in the process.

The Cardiff-born forward also netted five goals for Southampton and three for LAFC at either end of his career, while bagging 71 in 237 matches for Tottenham.

It was his superb form for Spurs, particularly in the 2012-13 season, that saw Bale make a then-record €100.8million (£85.1m) switch to Madrid.

That would prove to be Bale's best season in terms of goals as he netted 21, nine of those from outside the box in the Premier League – a single-season record that still stands.

Add his four assists into the mix and only Robin van Persie (35) and Luis Suarez (28) played a direct part in more goals than Bale's 25 during that campaign.

As impressive as Bale was for Spurs, though, he did not have any silverware to show for it. That would all soon change at the Santiago Bernabeu.

He is the only player to score a match-winning goal in two Champions League finals, doing so in 2013-14 against Atletico Madrid and in 2017-18 to break Liverpool's hearts.

Bale scored twice against Liverpool, aided by a horror shown from Loris Karius, making him the first substitute to score more than once in a single Champions League final.

Those three combined final goals are second only to Cristiano Ronaldo (four), who it is fair to say will be far better remembered by Madrid supporters than Bale.

While his part in some of Madrid's triumphs in more recent seasons was limited, Bale does at least deserve his place in club folklore.

His 258 appearances for Los Blancos are more than the likes of Luis Figo (245) and Zinedine Zidane (227) made, and just short of the great Ferenc Puskas' tally of 262.

Furthermore, Bale is one of only 22 players in Madrid's esteemed history to have reach the 100-goal mark, his 106 strikes more than Brazil legend Ronaldo (104) managed.

Wales international Bale sat out Madrid's past four games, having initially struggled with an ankle injury sustained in the Copa del Rey clash against Unionistas de Salamanca on January 22.

However, he got the nod from Zinedine Zidane to make just his 10th league start of the season and first in over a month.

Bale's return was one of eight changes to the team that was eliminated from the Copa del Rey quarter-finals by Real Sociedad on Thursday.

Sergio Ramos, Federico Valverde and Karim Benzema were the only players to hang onto their places.

Thibaut Courtois was back in goal, with Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane and Ferland Mendy joining Ramos in defence.

Luka Modric and Casemiro were brought in for Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez, while Zidane picked Bale and Isco to flank Karim Benzema in attack.

Bale, 33, retired from professional football in January after spending six months with MLS club LAFC.

Playing in his first PGA Tour event, Bale was partnered with Korn Ferry Tour Championship winner Joseph Bramlett, who he said he met around a year ago and has kept in contact with since.

"We met about a year ago and we have just been speaking over the year," he said. "I said to him last week 'let's prepare for this week' – he had a great week last week, and what a player.

"He is a world-class player. Just watching these players play, you can learn things and how they go about their business and how they do their process.

"It is just nice to watch and pick up things, their demeanour, their focus. It is different from what we were used to, but it is similar to my profession. We have similar traits, so fantastic playing with him today."

Bramlett is enjoying a terrific start to the tournament, tied for second at eight under through two rounds as he seeks his first PGA Tour victory, but he gave Thursday's shot of the day to Bale for his miraculous up-and-down off the cart path.

"I am more worried about how I found myself [on the path] in the first place, but I guess a lot of amateurs find themselves in that position," Bale said.

"It was a great shot and I just tried to play into the bank and hope for the best like most amateurs do.

"It was nice to see it roll up nice and close, and he was pretty much in for par so I was like 'I will pick it up' and [Bramlett] made me putt it because he was like 'this is going to be the greatest up-and-down'."

Bale ended his near-decade-long association with another pair of titles in La Liga and the Champions League last term, but once more cut a peripheral figure at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Having spent the 2020-21 season back on loan with former club Tottenham, the forward made only 12 appearances last season for Madrid. 

But Bale marked his fresh start in MLS on Saturday in style after coming off the bench for his LAFC debut, striking a typically fine effort to ensure a 2-0 victory against Sporting KC.

"I'm enjoying it here - everybody at the club has made me feel very welcome, and I've settled straight away," he said in his post-match interview.

The Welshman added a possible jibe at his Madrid treatment, following up with: "I think any player will tell you when they feel happy and settled, they start to play their best football."

Cristian Aranga opened the scoring for the visitors at Children's Mercy Park just before the hour mark, before Bale came off the bench to make his first appearance for the club.

His low effort secured a third straight win for LAFC, cementing their lead at the top of the Western Conference, as they look to build momentum for an anticipated postseason push.

"Obviously, I think the most important thing is that we won the game, first and foremost," Bale added. "We all knew the first half maybe wasn't good enough but the manager had another great team talk and got us going.

"[It was] nice to come on and grab a goal to help the team get three points. From a personal point of view, it's nice to get off the mark and help the team get three points."

"The transition has been a normal one, We'd be in pre-season now in Europe, so I'm getting my fitness back up quickly.

"The club's doing an amazing job to progress me and not push me too quick. I'm starting to feel better and better, and I'm glad to contribute tonight."

Bale, who famously celebrated in front of a flag adorned with the message 'Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order' when he led Wales to Euro 2020 qualification, retired from football earlier this month.

The former Real Madrid and Tottenham forward, who is renowned for his love of golf, recently announced he was planning to compete at the PGA Tour's Pebble Beach Pro-Am next month.

In preparation for that competition, Bale played nine holes of pro-am play at Torrey Pines with Rahm on Tuesday, making a good impression on the world number three.

"I told Gareth, 'you can't be so good at professional football and golf at the same time', it just doesn't seem fair," Rahm said.

"You can't be dedicated to one thing and have this much talent for golf, it's not fair in the slightest!

"You can tell he loves this sport, he loves golf and he really wants to get to play a little bit more, so hopefully in the future I'll see him more times in the pro-am."

Questioned on whether Bale asked him for any advice, Rahm said: "He didn't ask for anything, nor should he be asking, he's already good enough.

"Like I said, he has no business being that good when he's a professional football player. When he can actually practice more, he's going to get a lot better.

"He got two strokes, which I think is already wrong. He should be giving strokes back to the rest of the amateurs because he is a very, very good player."

Italy striker Insigne joined Toronto FC from Napoli at the end of the 2021-22 Serie A season, signing a four-year contract.

It can now be revealed that Insigne will earn $14million in his first season, putting him far ahead of the next highest paid player in MLS, who is Chicago Fire's former Liverpool and Bayern Munich player Xherdan Shaqiri.

Shaqiri earns a base salary of $7.35m, but his guaranteed compensation comes to $8.153m. The 31-year-old joined Chicago from Lyon in February.

The MLS Players' Association (MLSPA) published its list that included a number of surprising salaries, with former Juventus and Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini collecting a modest – compared to Insigne – base salary of $1million with Los Angeles FC, which only climbs marginally to $1.075m when all guaranteed compensation is included.

Chiellini was therefore absent from the list of top 25 earners in MLS, and his club-mate Gareth Bale only squeezed into the list at number 23, with the former Real Madrid and Tottenham forward on a base salary of $1.6m and a total amount of $2.387m.

In third place on the list stands Javier Hernandez, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker, with the LA Galaxy star reeling in $6m base and $7.443m guaranteed.

Insigne's countryman and Toronto team-mate Federico Bernardeschi is fourth (basic: $3.125m; guaranteed: $6.256m), ahead of a former Juventus team-mate, LA Galaxy's Douglas Costa in fifth (basic: $3m; guaranteed: $5.8m).

Christian Benteke, who left Crystal Palace to join DC United in August, holds down 11th place with a base salary of $4m ($4.183m guaranteed).

The 31-year-old winger fired in Toronto's fourth goal to make it 4-2 in the 77th minute with a near-post strike from just outside the box.

Insigne, making his third MLS appearance for Toronto, showed his class to create a pocket of space for himself before opening up his body to fire past Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis.

The goal headlined an entertaining contest which helped Toronto claim their seventh win of the season as they seek to mount a late-season charge.

Jonathan Osorio rifled Toronto in a 19th-minute lead but Hany Mukhtar's penalty squared it up in the 41st minute. Osorio restored Toronto's lead by tapping in Richie Laryea's low ball across goal, yet Nashville were level by half-time when Teal Bunbury glanced in off the post from a corner.

Filippo Bernardeschi put Toronto up again with an emphatic 54th-minute penalty before Insigne's moment with just under quarter of an hour to go. Walker Zimmerman headed in a late goal from Mukhtar's corner but Nashville could not find an equaliser as Toronto claimed their first road win in 378 days.

Bale, making his fourth appearance for his new club, netted his second MLS goal in LAFC's 4-1 victory against Real Salt Lake.

The Walsh international came on in the 64th minute with LAFC 3-1 up after Cristian Arango's double and added the fourth with a classy solo goal. Bale ran down the right flank, beating away two defenders, before tucking into the box and finding his favoured left foot for a trademark strike.

Cincinnati made a statement with a strong 3-1 home win against Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union.

All three of Cincinnati's goals came in the second half, after Brenner had a first-goal strike disallowed by the VAR. Brandon Vazquez, Brenner and Alvaro Barreal netted for Cincinnati, who move up to sixth, while Paxton Aaronson scored a late consolation for Union.

Under-performing New England snapped their six-game winless run to revive their playoffs hopes with a 3-0 victory at Orlando City.

Matt Polster, Wilfrid Kaptoum and Henry Kessler got the goals, with Carles Gil grabbing his 12th assist of the season for the latter's strike.

New York City were unable to capitalise on Philadelphia's loss, going down 3-2 at Columbus Crew, for whom Lucas Zelarayan scored a brace.

Gonzalo Higuain got on the scoresheet as Inter Miami rallied from behind to twice to manage a 2-2 draw at Montreal.

Bottom club DC United held New York Red Bulls to a 0-0 draw, while Chicago Fire made it four wins in five games with a 3-2 victory at Charlotte.

In the west, Javier Hernandez netted a late double but it was not enough for LA Galaxy who went down 4-2 at Sporting KC.

Gyasi Zardes scored a hat-trick as Colorado Rapids edged Minnesota United 4-3, Austin and San Jose Earthquakes drew 3-3 and Portland Timbers and Dallas both scored late in a 1-1 draw.

In the wild ride of an MLS Cup final substitute goalkeeper John McCarthy emerged as the ultimate hero, saving two penalties in the shoot-out after an astonishing 3-3 draw.

In front of their own fans on Saturday, LAFC took the lead through Kellyn Acosta's deflected free-kick but were pegged back just before the hour when Daniel Gazdag scored his 24th goal of the season.

Jesus David Murillo headed LAFC back into the lead in the 83rd minute, but Jack Elliott stung the hosts with another leveller two minutes later.

English centre-back Elliott looked to have won it when he put Philadelphia back in front deep into extra time, after LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau was sent off, but substitute Gareth Bale headed the hosts level in the eighth minute of stoppage time, with a powerful header that Blake had no chance of getting to.

Then the drama really went up a notch, with McCarthy, a Philadelphia-born former Union goalkeeper, pulling off saves from Jose Martinez and Kai Wagner, after Gazdag also haplessly missed from the spot.

Ilie Sanchez tucked away the clinching penalty in a 3-0 shoot-out triumph, sparking wild celebrations of the team's first MLS Cup triumph, with McCarthy named MVP.

The opening goal in the 28th minute owed plenty to fortune, with Acosta's 22-yard strike flicking off the head of 19-year-old Union midfielder Jack McGlynn and finding the bottom-left corner.

This was the first time since 2003 an MLS Cup has featured the teams that came top in the West and the East. They each finished the regular season with 67 points, but LAFC took the Supporters' Shield due to having more wins than Philadelphia, and that earned them home advantage.

The game's first equaliser arrived in the 59th minute when what looked like a wildly ambitious 30-yard shot from Jose Martinez inadvertently turned into a throughball for Gazdag, who controlled the fizzing low ball well before firing past Crepeau.

Murillo looked to have headed a winner for Los Angeles with seven minutes remaining as he powered home Carlos Vela's inswinging corner from the right. However, a terrific equaliser from Elliott, a fierce header after a free-kick from Kai Wagner on the left, brought Philadelphia level in the 85th minute.

Bale entered the fray in the seventh minute of extra time, replacing Vela.

Philadelphia then looked to have been dealt an outrageous injustice when Cory Burke raced through on goal and was scythed down by Crepeau, who was initially only yellow-carded for a clear professional foul, but it was soon upgraded to red. Crepeau looked to be seriously injured and had to be carried off, and on came McCarthy, the unlikeliest of heroes.

Cherundolo's side clinched the MLS Cup with a 3-0 penalty shoot-out win over Philadelphia Union after the game had ended 3-3 following regulation and added time in a incredibly dramatic final at Banc of California Stadium.

LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau was sent off in the 116th minute and left with a suspected broken leg for a last-man foul after a nightmare back-pass from Jesus Murillo.

After a lengthy delay for treatment for Crepeau, Union took the lead in the 124th minute from Jack Elliott's close-range finish, but substitute Bale sent it to penalties with a 128th-minute headed equaliser.

Bale, who has only made two starts in 13 appearances for LAFC since his move from Real Madrid in June, had been brought on in the 97th minute before his crucial intervention.

"He's a guy with big qualities and a guy who makes big plays," Cherundolo told reporters about 33-year-old Wales international Bale.

"Let's hope he doesn't in the first game of the World Cup for all the Americans in the room [Wales play USA]. But it's Gareth being Gareth. He does it in training. He's done it this season.

"When he's feeling well and healthy, he makes a difference in games. That's why we bring him in in those moments. I wish he was 24."

Bale, who scored twice in Madrid's 3-1 triumph over Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final, was delighted to make his contribution with LAFC down to 10 men.

"It's always nice to score in finals, and I seem to have a knack for doing that," he said. "It's big, it's important for the club, it's important for the fans. Like I said, we were down to 10 men, I guess not really looking like we were going to get anything out of the game.

"Credit to everybody to keep pushing and keep fighting. It was nice to get the goal and to help the team. And where it ranks, I'm not too sure but it's a great feeling."

Cherundolo added that he was not sure of the extent of Canada international Crepeau's leg injury, but was full of praise for substitute McCarthy who saved two spot-kicks to decide the shoot-out and earn the MVP award.

"Couldn't happen to a better guy," the LAFC boss said. "John is one of the heartbeats of this team emotionally.

"We know what he can do in penalties. We've seen it. We've trained for these moments, and John came up big. Like I said, couldn't happen to a better guy, and extremely happy for him and everybody at LAFC."

The Barcelona superstar sent shockwaves through world football last month when he told the club he has spent his entire career at he wanted to leave after a trophyless campaign in 2019-20.

Messi believed he could use a clause in his contract to leave for free, but Barca and LaLiga disputed that claim and insisted his deal could only be terminated should his €700m release clause be paid.

Amid frustration with the Camp Nou board, Messi performed a U-turn and elected to stay with the embattled LaLiga giants for at least the 2020-21 campaign.

He does so as the highest paid footballer in the world after earning $126million in salary and endorsements over the past 12 months.

His long-time rival Ronaldo is second on the list after bringing in earnings of $117m. 

Paris Saint-Germain stars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are third and fourth respectively, with Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah in fifth place.

Making up the rest of the top 10 are French World Cup winners Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann, Real Madrid outcast Gareth Bale, Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski and Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea.

Forbes' top 10 highest-paid footballers:

1. Lionel Messi - $126m
2. Cristiano Ronaldo - $117m
3. Neymar - $96m
4. Kylian Mbappe - $42m
5. Mohamed Salah - $37m
6. Paul Pogba - $34m
7. Antoine Griezmann - $33m
8. Gareth Bale - $29m
9. Robert Lewandowski - $28m
10. David De Gea - $27m

While his initial deal with LAFC is only a one-year agreement, it could be extended through to 2024, when Wales will be hoping to compete in the European Championship.

Bale left Real Madrid at the end of June after his contract was allowed to expire, with the forward – who was once the most expensive player of all time – enduring a difficult final few years at the Santiago Bernabeu.

His attitude and commitment to Madrid were often called into question by supporters, who routinely voiced their frustration towards him in recent years.

But Bale has continued to be worshipped by Wales supporters, and he more than played his part in helping them secure qualification to the World Cup for the first time since 1958 earlier this year.

Keeping himself fit ahead of Qatar 2022 is undoubtedly a key reason for the move to MLS, although Bale was eager to stress how he sees the potential for a long-term future in the United States.

While MLS has garnered a reputation for being a league where high-profile European players go to retire, Bale is adamant that is no longer the case.

"Like I said, this is a league that's really grown, that's come a long way in the last 10 years," he told reporters at his official presentation on Monday.

"Everyone's striving to improve the league, the players who come over see that as well. I don't think anyone sees it now as a retirement league, it's really a league that's physical, demanding; the weather changes are difficult, the travel is difficult.

"But it's exciting, and to play football in front of fans like these is what you play football for."

Bale's new club were only founded in 2014, debuting in MLS in 2018, but have since gone on to make a real impression on the sport in North America, even reaching the final of the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League.

Many were surprised by Bale's decision to head for the States given he reportedly had offers from English clubs and boyhood team Cardiff City, but he is convinced the European perception of MLS is outdated.

"I've watched MLS for a long time," he said. "Obviously the time difference makes it difficult, but whenever I could watch I'd try to catch it on the TV.

"The standard is really increasing, it's a lot better than people in Europe really think.

"The quality is improving, the league is improving, the stadiums are improving, the teams are improving.

"It's a league really on the rise. Yes, it's a new club, but it feels like it's been here forever. The job Larry [Freedman] and John [Thorrington, co-presidents] and rest of the team here have done to create such an amazing fanbase so quickly is remarkable.

"It's testament to how well the club is run, and I'm happy to be a part of it.

"To have my first training session today was amazing, the first step in hopefully a long journey."

Bale scored his second MLS goal since moving to LAFC when he made it 4-1 in Utah late on during Saturday's match.

The 33-year-old, who had replaced Carlos Vela in the 64th minute, surged from inside his own half before skipping down the right flank, taking on a batch of defenders and drilling home to cap a fifth straight MLS win over RSL for LAFC.

All four of Bale's MLS appearances so far have come from the bench, with the Wales forward playing just 96 minutes in total, but Cherundolo hinted that now has to change.

"It's a great moment for Gareth, and for the team, he's a well-liked guy in the group," LAFC's coach told a news conference.

"It was a well-taken goal. We told Gareth after the game, now we all know he can run, and there's no hiding.

"Ecstatic for him, he feels healthier and more fit by the day and I'm sure we'll see more of that."

LAFC sit top of the Western Conference on 51 points from 23 games in 2022, and are well on course to beat the MLS single-season points record of 73, set by the New England Revolution last year.

Cherundolo, though, does not let such a potential feat concern him.

"RSL played well, they had a good gameplan, for sure," he added. "Every team shows up to play against us, usually plays particularly well.

"If you're in first place, there’s a target on your back, so we know that. As far as goals go, we're taking this game-to-game, sometimes half-to-half.

"We're not too concerned with records or the table at the moment. Obviously we like where we're at, we'd like to stay there, but we'll take this week-to-week."

Bale beat off competition from Luis Suarez, Robin van Persie, Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Michael Carrick to win the senior prize for the 2012-13 campaign.

The Wales forward also took home the Young Player of the Year accolade, making him only the third player in history – after Andy Gray and Cristiano Ronaldo – to receive both prizes in the same season.

“It’s a massive honour,” Bale said.

“To be voted by your peers is one of the biggest things in the game. It’s great to win it and I am delighted.”

Ronaldo scooped both the young player and the main award in 2007, 30 years after Gray become the first professional to do so.

Bale claimed the senior award two years earlier after shooting to fame with a series of scintillating displays domestically and in the Champions League.

He went on to become an even better player, transforming himself into a goal-scoring machine that netted 31 goals in 52 appearances for club and country in 2012-13 before landing a world-record £85.3million move to Real Madrid that summer.

Bale went on to become one of British football’s most decorated players at Real, winning five Champions League winners’ medals, before retiring in January 2023.

The United States took a deserved first-half lead through Timothy Weah, though an improved Welsh side came back in the second and equalised via Bale's 82nd-minute spot kick.

The 1-1 draw leaves both two points behind England after the first games in Group B in Qatar after the Three Lions beat Iran 6-2 earlier on Monday, but Page was happy enough with a point and suggested his team were the ones who could have won it late on.

"It was a really important point for us," he told reporters at his post-match press conference. "I thought for the last 10 minutes if anybody was going to go on to get the winner it was going to be us as well."

Bale's penalty made him just the fourth player to score a World Cup goal for Wales after John Charles, Ivor Allchurch (two) and Terry Medwin, all in their 1958 campaign.

The Los Angeles FC forward had an otherwise quiet game, but once again stepped up when his country needed him, winning the penalty when he got across USA defender Walker Zimmerman and drew the foul.

"We've sort of evolved Gareth's position, put it that way," Page explained about his star player. "He can still play out wide, of course he can, but I like to give him the freedom to come inside and play off a frontman.

"He's very good at finding those spaces, he's intelligent, he's got a wise head, so he puts himself in those positions in the box to be able to get us penalties, and defenders commit to making tackles, and if they don't get their timing right in the box, inevitably it's a penalty." 

Welsh full-back Neco Williams played 79 minutes at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium and was visibly emotional at full-time, later revealing he had only found out last night that his grandad had passed away.

Williams posted on Twitter after the game: "Yesterday was the toughest news I've ever had to face and that was listening to my mum tell me my grandad past away last night.

"To go from crying all day to start in a World Cup game was extremely tough but I got through it from the support of my team-mates and family."

Wales face Iran in their second Group B game on Friday.

The three-time World Cup winner passed away aged 82 following a battle with colon cancer, sending the football and wider sporting world into mourning.

Pele, a 77-goal Selecao star who remains one of the game's all-time greats, was the only teenager to score in a World Cup final until Mbappe did so at Russia 2018 four years ago.

Now, the 23-year-old has paid his respects to the 'king of football', highlighting his achievements as having helped to define the sport.

"The king of football has left us, but his legacy will never be forgotten," Mbappe wrote on Twitter.

Mbappe's PSG team-mate and Spain international Sergio Ramos also offered his tribute, adding: "To say he was a legend is an understatement. Football will always remember you."

Barcelona and Poland forward Robert Lewandowski said "heaven has a new star" in his post reflecting upon Pele's legacy, a sentiment shared by former Germany international Mesut Ozil.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland argued that "everything you see any player [do], Pele did it first", while Wales forward Gareth Bale suggested the Brazilian was "the reason so many of us love football".

Former England international and 1986 World Cup Golden Boot winner Gary Lineker called him "the most divine of footballers and joyous of men", adding that Pele has secured "footballing immortality".

Kieffer Moore headed in 16 minutes from time to cancel out Breel Embolo's opener in Saturday's Group A clash at the Baku Olympic Stadium.

Switzerland managed double the number of shots than Wales and had a Mario Gavranovic goal ruled out by VAR late on, but Moore rescued the Dragons a potentially huge point.

Wales have now lost just one of their last 14 competitive games – against Belgium in March – and Bale is pleased with his side's attitude to battle back in the blistering Baku heat.

"Both teams tried to play. It was a little bit tense, but it's not a bad result and we take the positives," Bale told BBC Sport. "We wanted to win the game and had chances, but so did they.  

"When you go 1-0 down and you can crumble but we showed a lot of grit and character like always and we showed our class to fight back and get the goal.

"We worked very hard. It's hard in this heat. I'm proud of the boys. After the match we said we need to use this as a springboard.

"We now need to recover and move onto the next game."

That next game for Wales is once again in Baku against Turkey, who were beaten 3-0 against heavyweights Italy on Friday in the opening match of the tournament.

Like captain Bale, Wales' caretaker boss Rob Page believes his side can take confidence from the point gained against Switzerland.

"We wanted a positive start and it feels like a win in the changing room. We had to dig deep at the end and we had a bit of Lady Luck," he told BBC Sport.

"Turkey are a different opposition to what we've faced today, but we will have to be solid and well organised again.

"Italy have quality in abundance and we respect Turkey too. It's all about focusing on that now and we will be preparing for that test now.

"That's the foundations. If we need to dig in we will but we've proved we can play."

Moore's goal was his sixth for Wales in 18 appearances, four of those being scored with his head.

Page recalled the Cardiff City striker to his starting line-up in a big tactical decision that ultimately paid dividends.

"Kieffer has been terrific at international and club level," added Page.

"He's got a great touch and his link-up play is great. He's got all his attributes for a centre-forward and has given us the rewards today."

Switzerland are now unbeaten in their last six European Championship games in normal time, but Vladimir Petkovic's men had enough chances to pick up all three points against Wales.

Goalscorer Embolo, whose six shots was the most ever attempted by a Switzerland player in a single European Championship match, admits the draw is a disappointing result.

"I feel a bit of frustration as we had the chances for the second goal but didn't take them," he said.

"Perhaps we were too passive after the first goal. We deserved the win, but it turned out to be a draw and that's a pity.

"But we have to take the positives, rest up, focus on the next game and bring the good things from this match into the next one."

Former Real Madrid forward Bale retired from professional football at the age of 33 in January, having led Wales into their first World Cup campaign since 1958 in Qatar last year.

Having won a record-breaking 111 caps for his country, Bale will be succeeded by the man joint-seventh in their all-time appearance list – former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder Ramsey.

Ramsey moved to France in search of regular minutes following a frustrating loan spell at Rangers last term, and has made 21 league appearances since joining Nice on a free transfer last August.

The 32-year-old already has experience of captaining Wales after being named skipper by Gary Speed in 2011, though Chris Coleman opted to hand the armband to Ashley Williams one year later.

The announcement came as boss Rob Page named a 24-man squad for Wales' opening Euro 2024 qualifiers against Croatia and Latvia later this month, with the team looking to qualify for a third-consecutive edition of the tournament.

Page named four uncapped players in his squad for those fixtures, namely midfielders Jordan James and Ollie Cooper, Fulham youngster Luke Harris and striker Nathan Broadhead.

Wales forward Bale departed Spurs for the Santiago Bernabeu in a reported £86million deal in September 2013 and has gone on to win the Champions League four times, as well as a LaLiga title and Copa del Rey medal.

Bale has endured a tricky relationship with head coach Zinedine Zidane, though, and has often been linked with an exit, while a move to Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning collapsed in July.

A return to Tottenham has also been mooted and Bale clearly still has love for the club he played for between 2007 and 2013, describing his sadness at their defeat to Liverpool in last season's European showpiece.

"Everybody loves tuning in to watch the Champions League final, and obviously Tottenham were there so I had a very keen interest, I was hoping they'd get to the final like they did," Bale told BT Sport. 

"They had some great matches on the way, obviously in the semi-final [against Ajax].

"For us Tottenham fans it was a bit disappointing in the final, but you have to look at the bigger picture. They did great to get there and gave a good account of themselves."

Bale has several Champions League moments to savour, including winning the trophy in Cardiff and scoring a wonderful overhead kick against Liverpool in the 2018 final in Kiev.

For Bale, though, scoring and beating Atletico Madrid to clinch La Decima six years ago remains his favourite.

"They all have their own special moments. The first one is always so special because I'd never won a trophy before and you don't know the experience, excitement and euphoria you get from lifting the trophy," he added.

"Winning in my home city was an incredible moment for me personally because not many people get to do that.

"Then the last final [against Liverpool] I played in I scored that goal and for it to be the winning goal was also special.

"It's difficult to pick one but in terms of the overall experience I'd go for the first one because it was the first final and I didn't expect what was coming, the nerves of it and how we won it in the last minute.

"The celebrations were something I'd never experienced before. Everything was just new, so it was really exciting and it made it so special."

Nearly all of European football remains suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic and Bale opened up on the tough lockdown measures in Spain.

He said: "It's quite a strict lockdown, we can't go out at all, can't go out for a walk or exercise or anything. It's very strict, but I guess we're all doing it for the greater good.

"Everyone wants to play football, but the most important thing is everyone stays safe, we don't come back too early and we make sure everything is done safely so we avoid the second wave of this virus.

"The difficult thing, you hear everyone saying they want to get the season finished and do this and that. But you need to look at the bigger picture, the most important thing is everyone's health.

"With football, everyone misses it and wants to play, everyone wants to watch.

"But the bigger picture is there will be many more seasons of football, Champions Leagues, leagues and cups, the important thing is getting this right now, if we can get that right, it'll make football last much longer in the future and we won't have a problem like this in the future."

Former Real Betis star Fabian, who now plays for Napoli in Serie A, is a reported target for Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The Spanish rivals are trying to lure Fabian back to LaLiga.

TOP STORY – BARCA, MADRID DO BATTLE FOR FABIAN

Barcelona and Real Madrid are set to battle each other for the signing of Napoli star Fabian Ruiz, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

Spanish midfielder Fabian has been linked with a return to LaLiga throughout the season, having left Real Betis for Napoli in 2018.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Napoli are expecting Barca and Madrid to go head-to-head for Fabian – who is contracted to the Serie A side until 2023.

ROUND-UP

- L'Equipe says Inter have made an offer for Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette. With Inter star Lautaro Martinezlinked to Barca, the Nerazzurri are eyeing alternatives, however, Lacazette is not interested in swapping London for Milan.

- There could be some big changes at Madrid in 2022. AS Diario says Los Blancos want Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland to team up with Eden Hazard in a new strike force. The likes of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Isco will be out of contract at the end of the 2021-22 season.

- Juventusare ready to negotiate a deal for Santos teenager Kaio Jorge, according to Calciomercato. Santos are demanding €30million for the 18-year-old, though Juve are only prepared to pay €15m.

- The Daily Mail claims Manchester City and Newcastle United have joined Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the race for 18-year-old Penarol winger Facundo Pellistri.

- Odion Ighalo is prepared to pass on a £75m contract with Shanghai Shenhua to stay at Manchester United, reports the Daily Star. Ighalo's loan deal is set to expire at Old Trafford.