It didn’t take long for Gareth Bale to show his new teammates what all the fuss was about.
Less than a week after Bale’s arrival at Real Madrid, defender Sergio Ramos said the Welsh winger’s ability has shocked Real Madrid’s players, according to the Mail.
“The truth is because he did not play for a team in England that played in the [UEFA] Champions League — we did not know that much about him,” Ramos said.
“We know if the coach wanted him that strongly he must be a good player — but nobody was prepared for how special he is.
“It has only been a few training sessions we have seen him in — but some of what we see we can’t believe. He is so fast, so tricky, and the frightening thing is that he is not even 100 percent game fit yet.”
Bale joined Real Madrid on Sept. 2 from Tottenham Hotspur. The Spanish club paid £85.3 million ($135 million) for him, causing many to wonder aloud if he is worth such a fee.
Bale had proven his quality over three excellent seasons in the Premier League, but he was apparently a lesser-known commodity outside of Britain because he only played one season in the Champions League (2010-11) and never appeared in a major international tournament.
The 24-year-old participated in his first practice session with Real Madrid last Wednesday. He made his debut on Saturday, scoring a goal in Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw with Villarreal.
Ramos discussed Bale’s impact in practice on Monday, which means Bale made quite an impression in the four days in which he has practiced with his new team.
Have a question for Marcus Kwesi O’Mard? Send it to him via Twitter at @NESNsoccer or @mkomard, his Facebook page or NESN Soccer’s Facebook page or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.
