Is Bale the Real star?

As Cristiano Ronaldo continues to adapt his game, Gareth Bale has the chance to become Real Madrid’s most important attacking player, writes Adam Bate.

According to Guillem Balague, it was only when it became apparent that Cristiano Ronaldo was likely to be staying at Real Madrid this summer that Robert Lewandowski cooled on the idea of signing for the Spanish club. It was the “enormous potential of a Bale-Lewandowski partnership that appealed” to the Pole. Competing with Ronaldo was a different matter.

It’s a nugget of information that puts Bale’s decision to join Real in the summer of 2013 into context. The Welshman had made his name at Tottenham by showcasing a similar skill-set to Ronaldo with his dribbles down the flank, long-range shots and distinct style of taking free-kicks. Indeed, Bale has visibly modelled his approach on the celebrated forward.

So it’s perhaps understandable that there have been times in his three-year stay in Madrid that finding the right role within the team has not seemed straightforward. While predecessor Mesut Ozil’s reputation for selflessness complemented Ronaldo perfectly, Bale’s similarity was seen as something that counted against him.

The statistics bore that out in that first season. While the campaign was a triumphant one, culminating in a Champions League victory in which both men scored, Ronaldo’s presence did inhibit Bale’s effectiveness. In fact, he netted more goals in the seven games he started without Ronaldo than the 17 in which they were named in the starting line-up together.

Even now his scoring record when Ronaldo’s not around is a goal a game. In …

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