"Real Madrid are more of a team since Cristiano Ronaldo left the club to join Juventus..."
That’s the view of Gareth Bale, who has attempted to step into Ronaldo’s shoes at the Bernabeu with the Welshman shining in the early stages of the season.
Ronaldo left Real Madrid in the summer, joining Serie A giants Juventus for £88.8million.
Bale has been an early beneficiary of the transfer, netting three La Liga goals in Real’s first four appearances.
That has helped Los Blancos to an unbeaten start, though they sit two points behind Barcelona after four games.
But Bale believes Ronaldo’s departure has been good for Real Madrid, with the team not worrying about the Portuguese star anymore.
“Obviously it's going to be a little different from having such a big player there,” Bale told the Daily Mail.
“It's maybe a bit more relaxed, yes.
“I suppose there is more of a team, more working as one unit rather than one player.”