Gareth Bale has won four Champions Leagues in five years at Real Madrid, but believes the Spanish giants can be even better in their quest for a 14th European crown despite the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bale has shone in the spotlight since Ronaldoโs departure for Juventus, scoring in all of Realโs opening three La Liga wins and providing the equaliser for Isco in a 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
โObviously itโs going to be a little different from having such a big player there,โ Bale told British newspaper the Daily Mail.
โItโs maybe a bit more relaxed, yes. I suppose there is more of a team, more working as one unit rather than one player.โ
Fired by his anger at being left out of the starting line-up in Zinedine Zidaneโs last match in charge of Madrid, Bale came off the bench to score twice in last seasonโs Champions League final to beat Liverpool 3-1.
However, it is Ronaldoโs goals that have led Real to so much success on the continent in recent times.