Real Madrid will begin life without Cristiano Ronaldo next month, and if this statistic is anything to go by, they’re in safe hands with Gareth Bale.
As noted by Juventus on their club site, the Turin giants splashed out in excess of €100m on the Portuguese superstar this summer as Ronaldo now prepares for the new chapter in his career.
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With no marquee signings having replaced him at Real Madrid thus far, it looks as though Julen Lopetegui will place his faith in the options already at his disposal.
In truth, being able to call upon Bale, Isco, Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema and Lucas Vazquez isn’t exactly the worst group of attacking options that he could ask for.
Impressively though, as per AS, Bale has historically shone in the absence of Ronaldo as in the 27 games where the latter was absent and the Welshman featured in, Real Madrid won 21 of those while he scored 22 goals to show that he also had a direct impact.
Admittedly, that is a small sample size and the pressure will be different now that Ronaldo is permanently out of the picture as opposed to being rested or injured.
Nevertheless, it’s still a statistic that should give Real Madrid hope that with Bale now potentially considered the talisman and spearhead of the Los Blancos attack moving forward, he could be ready to shine and relish the opportunity by showcasing his best form.
With his movement, pace and finishing ability in mind, having creative sparks such as Isco and Asensio behind him to pull the strings and get him in behind defences could be a dream combination. Time will tell if it works out as hoped by Madrid and in turn, they may not feel the significant blow of losing Ronaldo.
As seen in the video below, Bale was unsure about his future at the Bernabeu immediately after the Champions League final last season given his inconsistent playing time. With Ronaldo no longer around, he may get the role that he craved all along.
“I need to be playing week-in-week-out…that hasn’t happened this season.”
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Gareth Bale speaks to @DesKellyBTS about his Real Madrid future… pic.twitter.com/cbcDC6Otvh
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 26, 2018