Whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger

The 'Cardiff Express' has started the new campaign just as he ended the last, in fine form. Bale has ten goals and three assists to his name in his last nine competitive games, looking transformed from the tentative, injury-riddled Bale of a year or so ago.

Despite his reputation for being made of balsa wood, Bale's last injury came on September 26 2017 when he suffered a calf strain during a Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund.

That injury kept him out for two months and even upon his return he didn't look confident in his ability to change pace and put genuine strain on his muscles.

Fastforward a year and with a full pre-season under his belt, Bale now looks the player we all know him to be.

When the flying flanker made the move to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2013, he did so as the most expensive player in history, a fact that is often forgotten.

His patented combination of searing pace, long-range blockbusters and the engine of a long-distance runner marked him out as unique in a generation of athletes-turned footballers.

Watching bale play, it is impossible to shake the feeling that in some alternative universe there is a carbon copy of the Welshman streaking to Olympic glory in the 400m.

However, for now it remains opposition defenders that are being left in his wake rather than sprinters as he finally threatens to reach his huge potential.

Following his match-winning brace in Kiev, it seemed as it Bale's time at the Bernabeu was over, only for it to be Ronaldo who moved on this summer.

It was noteworthy that one of Julen Lopetegui's first acts as Real Madrid boss was to reaffirm his faith in Bale, a factor that was likely key in his decision to remain in the Spanish capital for the time being, rather than seek a return to the Premier League.

The Madrid board have always maintained their faith in Bale, but his injury problems made it a huge risk to rely on him to fill Ronaldo's rather large shoes.

Now, the pieces finally seem to be coming into place for the 29-year-old, who has a full pre-season under his belt, a manager who believes in him and a team built to get the best out of him.

A goal in each LaLiga game so far this season is his return to date and you feel there is plenty more to come from a man written off by many just a few mere months ago.