We all know what Bale can do

Gareth Bale showed everyone what he's capable of against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. He carried the team on his shoulders, scored when it was asked of him, demanded the ball and tipped the balance. No one can doubt his ability. However, logically it's still not yet clear if he can avoid injuries and produce performances like that of Vallecas consistently (although he has been averaging a goal a game). Is it purely coincidence that he played better without Cristiano on the pitch? It's possible that the Portuguese star, without any suitors able to afford what he and the club are asking for, could stay at Real Madrid next season. It's striking that Robert Lewandowski has stated that he’d prefer to stay at Bayern if Cristiano remains at the Bernabéu, as he believes he would have more of a chance to develop in Germany.

Bale is experiencing a similar issue at the moment. There was talk that he would take up a more central role this season, a first step towards taking up a leadership position in the post-Ronaldo era. Ten months on though and it seems there is little faith that he can become one of the team’s leaders. A goalscorer yes, a game changer also, but in order to be a leader you have to speak the common tongue and understand your position. The Welshman becoming leader won’t happen, so given what he can do, is his ability slightly going to waste?