Gareth Bale - Florentino Perez's biggest risk yet?

The fundamental difference between Ozil and Bale is that Bale does not have Ozil’s vision. The German could find Ronaldo from any corner of the pitch, probably even if he was blindfolded. The chemistry that Ronaldo and Ozil shared is very unlikely to be mirrored by the Bale-Ronaldo partnership, simply because they’re too similar to each other.

But then again, it is likely that Isco will be – and already has been – handed the responsibility of providing the creativity quotient, and if Ancelotti can use all three to their full potential, Real Madrid may well be on the road to La Decima.

The Ozil issue also has another mammoth impact in the fact that the German was one of the most loved Real Madrid players, by both the fans and the players. That was quite evident when the fans were pleading to the President at the Bernabeu, before his transfer to Arsenal was confirmed, to not sell him; to not let him go.

For many, the arrival of Bale has been bittersweet, and on a few counts, more bitter than sweet. Even in the troubled times of the Mourinho monarchy, Ozil was the one player that was genuinely liked by a dressing room in disharmony – the Ronaldo clique, Casillas and his Spanish core and, well, everyone else.

In a way, Ozil’s departure has catalysed the players to be united, but, against Perez. The players have spent more time mourning Ozil’s move from the Bernabeu than Bale’s arrival to it.

The much loved Mesut Ozil’s departure is bad news for Cristiano Ronaldo

Moreover, one of the main characters of this saga, Ronaldo, has expressed his furore: “Ozil’s departure is very bad news for me. He was the player who knew my moves in front of goal the best. I’m angry about Ozil leaving.”

It might very well be Gareth Bale who faces the brunt of this backlash. If that happens, it could cause him to be alienated in the dressing room, making things very awkward indeed, in a similar fashion to Michael Owen, who suffered through a highly ‘individual’ dressing room and player politics.

However, in this case, I think Perez will do as much as he can to ensure Bale does get to play, although the orders from above may lead to further unhappiness amongst the players.

Ultimately, only time will tell how the story unfolds. For now, Bale will have to keep his head down and speak through his game on the pitch, as we all know he can, being the young man with a bucketload of talent at his disposal, to captivate the footballing audience.

In this case, and with that price tag in the equation, it is inevitable that Bale will either be a huge success or a massive failure; a great hero or a hated villain. There is no grey area, no middle ground for the Welshman to fall upon at Bernabeu.

Whether Perez has pulled off an ingeniously calculated risk or whether he overplayed his hand a tad too much, will be a burning question, waiting to be answered over the next season.