I sincerely hope that Gareth Bale has been laughing himself silly at his critics over the past few weeks since Real Madrid lost their all-time record signing to injury. The way in which the Wales international has been under-appreciated, scapegoated and harangued by know-nothing fans or myopic pundits who think they're doing Florentino Perez a favour in trying to force Bale out -- to, say, Manchester United -- is a scandal.
The past few weeks without him have added undeniable proof that whether or not Bale's playing style is your cup of tea, whether or not you think it's not good enough that his level of Spanish is still somewhere between beginner and tourist, Madrid have missed him enormously.