Los Angeles FC reportedly planned a surprise for Bale's jersey number unveiling

N ew Los Angeles FC signing Gareth Bale will wear No. 11 on the back of his jersey, confirmed the team via Twitter on Monday.

Bale, 32, will wear the same number he uses with Wales, stealing it from LAFC teammate Jose Cifuentes.

According to ESPN, Cifuentes is not upset with the situation and instead feels honored to gift his number to Bale.

During his introductory press conference, Bale held up an LAFC jersey with no number on the back.

The team had a planned surprise ready to unveil Bale's number but MLS got ahead of them, reported ESPN.

They reportedly put his No. 11 jersey up for sale on their online shop during the live presser.

LAFC later confirmed the news with a picture on Twitter of Bale holding the No. 11 jersey, which is priced at $164.99 on the official store.

During his press conferece, Bale stated that he is not buying into the notion that the MLS is a "retirement league."

He also said that he wants to play for LAFC for as long as possible to make his mark on both the team and the league.

"The standard here is really increasing. I think it's a lot better than the people in Europe really think," Bale said. "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.

Bale then spoke about previously playing against Carlos Vela and explained his goal when creating a partnership with the striker.

"We get on very well," Bale said. "Looking forward to light up a partnership with him and hopefully win some games and win some trophies."

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