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Why it could be Bale’s year
- Updated: September 12, 2016
We examine the statistics that suggest Gareth Bale could be on his way to becoming the main man at Real Madrid.
Bale has made an impressive start to the season for club and country, and there is a real hope now that he can become the most important player for Real Madrid.
The signs were there on the opening weekend of the season when he stepped up in Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence to score twice against Real Sociedad.
Bale has now scored 14 goals in 14 La Liga games he’s started without Ronaldo. But what’s really interesting is whether he can now be Madrid’s go-to man even when Ronaldo is around.
It has not always been easy for him. Compared to his goal-a-game record without Ronaldo, Bale has scored 34 in 64 when the Portuguese is in the starting line-up. But those numbers are improving.
In his first two seasons in Madrid, Bale was not even managing to score a goal every other game with Ronaldo in the team. But that rate almost doubled last season.
It can be seen as a reflection …
