Gareth Bale: Why LAFC deal is a surprise, but Celtic and Rangers move to follow Aaron Ramsey was too risky

With at least one eye on the Middle East, Gareth Bale has opted to go west, way west, and joined LAFC in America’s MLS for a year, ending weeks of speculation over his future beyond Real Madrid.

There was interest from the English Premier League in Newcastle and Spurs, in his homeland at Cardiff and even Rangers and Celtic touted in some quarters and bookmakers’ markets aiming to cash in on the next stopping point for one of the world’s most valuable players.

Yet Los Angeles, for all its TinselTown and showbiz pizzazz still strikes as an odd choice for a 32-year-old once criticised at the Bernabeu for an ‘introverted personality’. One who is preparing to take his country to their first World Cup Finals since 1958. One who has already made many millions operating in two of Europe’s great cities, London and Madrid.

A move to the opposite side of the Atlantic, and then the far-away coast of America, is a move in the wrong direction from Wales and Qatar – where Bale’s focus undoubtedly is for the remainder of this year.

He had suitors at home but while it is not a top league in Europe, Bale doesn’t need to prove himself anymore beyond nine years and four Champions League at the Bernabeu. He joins a club on an upward curve with financial clout – they have just recruited Giorgio Chiellini and are the country’s top team. Winning mentality cannot be underestimated heading into a major tournament.

That, unquestionably is the focus, and one which other clubs – perhaps on these shores, would demand be shared with their own domestic ambitions. It is now a question of match sharpness for Bale and the MLS calendar suits his aims, running until October, allowing a natural break to prepare for the World Cup before the second half of