Former Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale says he’s joined Los Angeles FC to help build the club over the “long-term”.
Bale had his presentation to local media on Monday after his free transfer was completed last week.
“It’s an amazing honor to be here,” Bale said. “To watch The 3252 chant the whole game the other day was really special. Probably one of the most exciting nights of being at a football game. It was incredible to experience.
“I’m looking forward to playing in front of you and hopefully giving you many moments to cheer about.”
A smiling Bale continued talking about the amazing job LAFC have done as a club and hopes to take them to the next level.
“This club is an amazing project. After speaking with John [Thorrington] and Larry [Freedman] it became very clear to me that this was the place that I wanted to be at,” Bale said. “An incredible club. They’ve created an amazing environment for the fans.
“Everything around what you see is incredible. Hopefully now I can play my part and take this clup, hopefully, to the next level and try to win the trophy.”
When asked how familiar he is with Major League Soccer and LAFC, Bale praised the league for improving in quality and other aspects.
“I’ve watched the MLS for a long time. Obviously, the time difference makes it difficult but whenever I was able to watch a game I always used to try to watch it on the TV,” Bale said. “The standard here is really increasing. I think it’s a lot better than the people in Europe really think.
“The quality is improving, the league is improving, the stadiums are improving, the teams are improving so it’s a league that’s really on the rise and yes, this club is new but it feels like it’s been here forever.”
Asked about the league’s reputation for being a “retirement league,” Bale said he wants to be in Los Angeles for as long as possible to give him the best chance of competing internationally, as well.
“I still have many years to come,” Bale said. “I haven’t come here just to be here for six months, 12 months. I’ve come here to try to be here as long as possible.
“I wanna do as well as I can. I wanna try to make my mark on this league, on this team. I’m looking forward to the future. It’s not just a short thing. Also gives me the best opportunity to keep going to the next Euros, maybe further. My plan is to really work hard.”
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