Bale and fiancée announce arrival of baby boy Axel

WALES football star Gareth Bale has announced the birth of his third child.

Bale and fiancée Emma Rhys-Jones welcomed their first son, Axel Charles Bale, into the world yesterday morning with an announcement on social media.

Posting a picture of newborn Axel, he wrote: “We are delighted to welcome a baby boy into our family this morning. Axel Charles Bale 08.05.18.”

News the couple were expecting again only became public in March when Bale posted another message on social media, sharing an image of a babygrow along with a tiny pair of socks and a cuddly toy, with the caption: “Baby number 3 coming soon”.

Bale, 28, and Emma have two daughters together – Alba Violet, born in 2012, and Nava Valentina, born in 2016.

They became childhood sweethearts after they met at Whitchurch High School in Cardiff and got engaged in July 2016 during Bale’s birthday weekend.

The couple, who live in Madrid, are reportedly due to marry at a haunted Italian castle in May this year, at the historic Vincigliata Castle in Tuscany.

The Real Madrid player, who scored the equaliser in a thrilling 2-2 draw with Barcelona on Sunday, is known as a family man, and many Wales fans remember him celebrating the nation’s stunning Euro 2016 success with his daughter on the pitch following victory over Northern Ireland.

At the time, he said: “It was an amazing moment, I hadn’t seen my family in three weeks, so it was emotional when she ran on the pitch.

“To celebrate with my family and my daughter running around like a wild child is a memory to never forget and I have pictures and videos to look back on in future.

“She is quicker than me when I was younger!”