Wales manager Robert Page hopes Gareth Bale ‘will still have a role to play’ for the national team after his retirement.
Page says he wants to see Bale – who is the Wales men’s team top scorers and appearance makers – remain involved in the international setup.
“I wish Gareth was still involved to some degree,” Page said. “We had this conversation.”
Bale has scored 41 goals in 111 appearances for Wales, including his country’s only goal at the 2022 World Cup – their first tournament appearance in 64 years.
Page hopes Bale will stay in the Wales side, albeit not as a talismanic player.
“We don’t know what that role is yet, but he just needs to spend time with his family,” Page said. BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.
“I won’t go into details and at what level, but that’s all we have with it.
“It’s a big adjustment for him, getting into a normal life, but we’ll have another conversation with him in a few weeks and make a plan to move forward, but he has so much to offer.
“Even his mere presence in the dressing room, just his presence in the hotel environment, is something I would really like him to stay involved with.”
Page expects the Football Association of Wales (FAW) to be equally keen on keeping Bale.
“I’m keen to keep him involved to some degree, it’s about figuring out what role it is and I’m sure the FAW would be keen too,” he said.
“He has a great opinion of football and that’s why I have involved him in so many conversations, with many other senior players, and he still has a lot to offer.”
Page has confirmed he would have selected Bale for Wales’ European Championship qualifiers in March, but believes the former Real Madrid star retired at the right time.
“Gareth texted to say he needed a chat. I knew it was something important, but when he told me it wasn’t a complete surprise,” did he declare.
“I told him I thought it was a good time to bow out. You have just scored in a World Cup and you have everything on your CV, what you have done for this country is amazing.”
Bale won numerous trophies during a glittering club career with Real Madrid, but it was with Wales that he produced some of his best individual performances.
Bale inspired Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 and former Wales boss Chris Coleman – who led the team at the tournament in France – says the whole country should celebrate his achievements .
“I think of course we’re going to be disappointed, but we must never forget what he gave to his country,” Coleman told BBC Radio Wales.
“We have to celebrate him. We have to celebrate what he has achieved with Wales, where he helped put Wales, he had a big contribution over the last eight to 10 successful years.”
Coleman believes Bale is retiring because he can’t quite reach the same standards that saw him become the world’s most expensive player and win five Champions Leagues.
“I was disappointed but I saw it coming if I’m being honest and it happens to all players,” Coleman said.
“They can’t keep producing, the years go by and your body changes and I think we saw that with Gaz at the World Cup where he maybe couldn’t do what he was doing before. That probably disappoints him because I know the type of guy he is.”
Ashley Williams, Wales captain at Euro 2016, believes Bale will be remembered with the greatest players of his generation.
“He’s been one of the best artists I can think of in recent times,” Williams told BBC Radio Wales.
“It was always on the edge of your seat because you always expected him to do something spectacular. In my opinion, he’s the best British player we’ve ever seen.
“There was a time when he was arguably the best in the world or one of the top three and in conversation with [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo.
“You think about those Champions League finals – he was doing it at the highest level.
“I think he gave more than enough for all the teams he played for, especially Wales.
“He’s brought so many people joy over the years and so many amazing moments that he deserves. [retirement] now.”
