Wales boss wants Gareth Bale to stay involved in international set-up

Bale's retirement marks the end of an era — he played a major role in carrying Wales to three of the past four major tournaments

Wales manager Rob Page will try to convince Gareth Bale to stay involved in the international set-up after the star forward announced he is retiring from football.

Bale, a five-time Champions League winner at Real Madrid, ended a glittering career on Monday after winning 111 caps and scoring 41 goals for his country — both national records for the men's team.

The 33-year-old's decision to quit came after Wales' disappointing performance at their first World Cup since 1958 in Qatar, where Page's team failed to get out of their group and Bale struggled due to a lack of match fitness.

"When you have someone of Gareth Bale's stature, what he's done for Wales and the impact he can have, even in the changing room just being around the players, then that's something I've got to take advantage of," Page said on Tuesday.

"He's interested in doing it -- in what capacity, we'll have a chat about a few weeks down the line. That's something I'm passionate about and I'd like to keep him involved."

Bale's retirement marks the end of an era — he played a major role in carrying Wales to three of the past four major tournaments.

At his peak at Euro 2016, Bale inspired an incredible run to the semi-finals in the country's' first major tournament for 58 years.