LaLiga 2018-19: Bale ready to be Madrid´s shining light after five years in Ronaldo´s shadow

When Real Madrid brushed Liverpool aside in the Champions League final, Cristiano Ronaldo was nowhere to be seen as Gareth Bale led the charge – little did the world know that this was a sign of things to come.

That 3-1 win brought an incredible era to an end at Los Blancos, as Zinedine Zidane stepped down as coach less than a week after guiding the club to a third successive Champions League title.

It proved to be Ronaldo s final match in a Madrid shirt as well, with the Ballon d Or holder securing a shock €112million move to Juventus last month, bringing a nine-year association with the club to an end.

Ronaldo s presence had been vital in Madrid s previous two Champions League successes. He scored the winning penalty in the 2015-16 shootout and netted tw…