Tuesday 23 August 2016 06:11, UK
Gareth Bale began the new La Liga season by scoring twice in Real Madrid's 3-0 win at Real Sociedad on Sunday and Guillem Balague and Graham Hunter discuss whether this could be the Welshman's year in Spain.
Bale enjoyed a brilliant campaign with Wales at this summer's European championships, where his eye-catching displays helped guide his country all the way through to the semi-finals in France.
And with his Real team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo currently out injured, the spotlight is now firmly on Bale as Madrid look to wrestle the title away from rivals Barcelona.
Balague and Hunter, though, both firmly believe that the Wales international can now finally step out of Ronaldo's giant shadow at the Santiago Bernabeu and may even live up to AS' front-page headline on Monday that read: 'La Liga de Bale'.
Here is how Sky Sports' two Spanish football experts debated the issue on this week's Revista Bitesize….
GRAHAM HUNTER: We were both at the European championship and we both saw something Real Madrid could draw conclusions from if that proposition - La Liga de Bale - is going to come true.
You have been talking about it for quite some time: how the struggle for power and domination between Ronaldo and Bale was changed a little bit last season in that Ronaldo - who began the season not in fantastic form - began to realise that whenever Bale played, it was more likely they won and it was more likely that he himself would score.
And so Real found that in the last third of last season they achieved the greatest equilibrium the pair had achieved - 12 straight victories, nearly winning the title and winning the Champions League.
For Wales, you saw predominantly what you and I have been talking about since Bale joined - the entire Welsh team played for Bale, they understood his role, when to give him the ball. They looked for him all the time in the way that Real had been looking for Ronaldo all that time.
If Real Madrid, [Zinedine] Zidane and Ronaldo can appreciate Bale now in all the things he is superlative at, then maybe that proposition that you put forward can come true.
GUILLEM BALAGUE: The things in favour of Bale being the main man of Real Madrid this season are, for instance, that it is quite clear that the priority of Real Madrid is the league. Florentino Perez has sent that message to Zinedine Zidane.
Secondly, Zidane respects the hierarchy, the big names, but does not marry them as we saw with Isco and James [Rodriguez] being on the bench.
You have the fact that Gareth Bale quite clearly understands that his role is to get the ball and go faster than the full-back.
So there are a lot of things in favour of Gareth Bale being the main man. Of course if he keeps fit - and he missed 15 league games last season - you have everything you need to be one of the top three players in the world.
GRAHAM HUNTER: When you look at what Zidane is giving a premium to, for example, Lucas Vazquez - although he did not start last night - he did begin and changed the Super Cup. Look at [Marco] Asensio, who is grabbing the headlines for scoring.
But if I match together the importance of Lucas, including last season, the emergence of Asensio and the vital importance of Danny Carvajal instead of Danilo - how fit, strong and attacking Carvajal is - these are all socios for Bale. People who will open up space, create room and cross.
While we must not forget how brilliant Ronaldo is in the air, and how his summer was composed of him taking nourishing meals from scraps. He did not dominate that tournament in the way that we are talking about Bale dominating the league.
But he appeared in important moments. And the thing that I am asking for equilibrium for is, if Ronaldo can accept that Bale can score a lot from the penalty spot in terms of headers, Bale needs to be able to drift into positions, because he takes up fantastic positions.
Zidane is the right coach and the little smidgen of change they need is a little bit of team generosity from Ronaldo, which up until now he has not had to give.
I am not calling him selfish, there has not been as much of a question presented to him as now, and if he is willing to do it for the good of the team, then yes it could be La Liga de Bale.
GUILLEM BALAGUE: Full-backs seem to be the guys they are going to use for the width at Real Madrid, not when they counter, but Zidane likes three central midfielders who have to hold a lot.
Then you have the full-backs that are forced to go forward and in the first La Liga game you had them 50 per cent of the time in the opposition half. This was away, and at Real Sociedad, and that could benefit Gareth Bale, of course, who can then play inside or get into the box for those crosses that you mentioned.
That embrace that Bale and Ronaldo had in the European championship when Ronaldo actually went to Gareth Bale and hugged him - I guess it is easier when you have won - but the body language quite clearly said that Ronaldo respects Gareth Bale and will accept that Bale has got a bigger role to play.
GRAHAM HUNTER: For my money Wales were as good a team as Portugal on the day, little details changed the game, the power play, two quick goals . I also think that that respect which you have identified, because body language between these two men has always told us a great deal, I think that Bale has imposed himself on Ronaldo's consciousness.
And I genuinely believe without a hint of criticism that Ronaldo has always been a very calculating man, for good, not for bad. He has always calculated that if he can push the team and the coach into giving him what he wants, that has not been pure ego, that has been to win.
Ronaldo does what he does throughout the year to win, but now he recognises that Bale can be an ally in that. Not a challenge to his status, not a challenge to his price. Ronaldo knows about his physical changes, knows he cannot do the same things.
But he is still dedicated to winning and lifting trophies and I think he sees Bale as someone who can help him do that and that is, in my belief, the key to their relationship.
