How Gareth Bale could be the new heir to Cristiano Ronaldo's throne at Real Madrid

While there are questions arising from around the world about who is going to be the new 'face' of Real Madrid following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure to Turin, the answer to these questions lies in the Madrid squad itself.

The 100 million-Euro man, Gareth Bale possesses almost every attribute of Cristiano Ronaldo. Bale had been on Manchester United's radar ever since his Tottenham days and their on-and-off love story with the Welshman is still alive. Recently, there were speculations over Bale's future at Real Madrid as he made it clear that he was unhappy to not be included in the UCL final starting lineup and was not certain about his future at the Spanish capital.

Though, things cooled down a bit after the departure of Zinedine Zidane and star talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to Turin. And now, Bale looks set to be the star under the new Madrid boss, Julen Lopetegui.

Bale, known for his anomalous pace, heading abilities, crossing abilities, threat from set pieces, long range screamers, dribbling past defenders and what not, is clearly the rightful heir to Ronaldo's throne at Real Madrid.

If injuries wouldn't have affected the Cardiff Express' career, he would have been among the top three players of the world at this moment. His career had been in the shadows of injuries on and off at Real Madrid.

The Welshman who recently turned 29, had his best domestic season in La Liga 2015-16, despite being out of the team for most of the matches. The trio of Karim Benzema, Ronaldo and Gareth Bale was known as the top threat in Europe at that time. Bale made only 23 appearances for Los Blancos and scored a bagful of 29 goals and assisted 10 times.

The 2016-17 was not one to remember for Bale as he made only 19 appearances scoring on 9 occasions. Though, he improvised his game and looked a threat last season whenever he was on the pitch, scoring 16 goals in 26 appearances and evidently shining in the UCL final after coming off the bench. He bagged a brace with two screamers, including a replica of Ronaldo's bicycle kick against Juventus.

Gareth Bale's goal in UCL Final

Bale is back in Madrid's training ground, Ciudad Deportiva de Valdebebas for the pre-season and as of now it is very obvious that Bale has already secured a starting eleven spot in Madrid's eleven for the season as he is fit and has all the abilities an attacking leader should have.

Since Lopetegui is known for playing attacking football from the flanks, Bale would be a strong part of the Los Blancos' attack as he can dribble past the opposition back line with ease and can deliver crosses with pin point accuracy. While, being a good finisher, Bale would be a top threat in front of the goal as he would look to finish the goal-scoring opportunities created by the highly rated Madrid midfield and fullbacks.

The highest paid player in the Madrid squad is expected and believed to be the heir to Ronaldo at Real Madrid.

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