Carlo Ancelotti had warned that Gareth Bale's return to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu was something he had in mind, and that's exactly what he did against Getafe.
With a quarter of an hour to go, the Italian put Bale on for Karim Benzema. The Frenchman received a standing ovation while the Welshman, as expected, was greeted with resounding whistles, which were repeated every time he touched the ball.
Bale's face broke into a smile as he heard the reaction, one that he surely expected.
The forward had not played at the Bernabeu since February 2020, when Madrid lost 2-1 to Manchester City (773 days ago). He did play at Valdebebas, but without a home crowd.
Bale's last goal at the Bernabeu dates back to March 2019, against Celta Vigo in Zinedine Zidane's return after Santiago Solari's sacking.
Drift05
47
You proved your worth and payed off your debt with results. Fans may boo you in the stadium but you run in the copa del rey, the header against ATM, the long shot and volley against liverpool will forever give me a reason to boast as a madrid fan and for this SIR you have my full respect