Bale is better without Ronaldo
In the games that Gareth Bale played without Cristiano Ronaldo, the win rate was 78 percent and his goal average almost doubled. USA vs Curaçao: Gold Cup live
Without Ronaldo, the Real Madrid Project now revolves around Gareth Bale, unless a marquee signing can be made before transfer deadline day. But Florentino Perez’s preferences, Neymar and Mbappe, are not available, leaving the Welshman now in the spotlight. And Bale has already shown that he is comfortable – if not better – when playing without Ronaldo by his side.
There were not many games in which the pair did not play together. But of the 27 games that Bale played without Ronaldo, 21 (or 78 percent) of them were victories. That is an impressive winning average that shows that the Welshman is more than capable of taking on the leadership role in the absence of Ronaldo.
Of course, the impressive win rate is the result of a team effort, but the influence of Bale in those 27 games was important, which is evident from the statistics. He scored 22 goals in those 27 games, an average of 0.81 goals per match, which is much higher than his overall average 0.46 goals per games. When Ronaldo is not playing, his goal average almost doubles.
Ronaldo's exit gives him reason to stay
After the Champions League final against Liverpool, Bale cast doubt over his future at the club, and despite scoring two goals, was disappointed to have not started the game.
“I need to be playing week in, week out and that has not happened this season. I had an injury five, six weeks in but I've been fit ever since. I have to sit down with my agent in the summer and discuss it,” he said in the post-match interview.
But it seems that Ronaldo’s departure has given him reason to stay, and even his agent, Jonathan Barnett, canceled a meeting he had scheduled with Real Madrid to discuss his future. Without Ronaldo to overshadow him, Bale can shine as bright as he did at Tottenham, where he was named the Premier League’s best player in 2010-11 and 2012-13.
