Has Gareth Bale finally arrived?
Real Madrid's expensive Welshman put up a stunning performance for Los Blancos on Wednesday in a 7-3 thrashing of Sevilla.
Bale entered the game with a lot of making up to do after a pitiful performance against Barcelona on Saturday. That game featured Bale doing his best disappearing act possible and also showcased the squad playing better without him.
It was apparent on Wednesday that Bale was a man on a mission and his mission was to prove that he was not the dud everyone thinks he is. He scored the two opening goals for his new club and then provided two assists along the way.
"Tonight everyone saw the real Gareth," said Coach Carlo Ancelotti, according to ESPN. "He played really well, showing fantastic skills. It takes time [to adapt] but it was a necessity. Now he doesn't have problems physically and he is improving his confidence, so he will be very important for us in the future."
The best part of Bale's performance? He jumpstarted the slumping Karim Benzema with a crucial assist on one of the Frenchman's two goals. Benzema looked like a different man on Wednesday with Cristiano Ronaldo and Bale flanking him; it seemed as if the defense of Sevilla was unsure of how to deal with the two big threats on the wings and decided to deal with them instead of Benzema.
Another important detail about Bale's night? Bale was the best player on the field in the first half for Madrid. However, the second half saw Cristiano Ronaldo complete a hat trick and serve up an assist of his own. But the two superstars linked up well throughout the night and complemented one another very well.
The only sour spot of the entire night was that Angel Di Maria wound up being the sacrificial lamb and had to start on the bench.