Plagued by injuries, but still with a better return than Ronaldo and Benzema

He has been the subject of much criticism in recent times, but the Welsh international continues to prove his doubters wrong as and when he can take to the pitch.

Bale proved key on his return to action in the Club World Cup semi-final on Wednesday, coming off the bench to score the winner against Al-Jazira within 47 seconds of his introduction.

That goal took him to four goals and five assists in 11 appearances so far this season, meaning that he contributes directly to a goal every 84 minutes on average.

Much has been made of Cristiano Ronaldo's league form, but his Champions League goals drag his stats up to an impressive 15 goals and three assists in 20 appearances. However, due to the amount of minutes the Portuguese has accrued, he still winds up statistically poorer than Bale, despite still contributing directly to a goal every 90.94 minutes.

Finally, Benzema has managed to find the net just twice in La Liga this term and has mustered just five goals and three assists in 18 games in all competitions, leaving him with the worst goal contribution of the three (every 167.85 minutes).

Furthermore, Bale's five assists also make him Real's joint-top assist maker, alongside Isco, further fuelling the view that it is the Welshman that is Real's match-winner in attack.