Bale is 'loving life' at Real Madrid under Ancelotti after returning from loan

Bale is 'loving life' at Real Madrid under Ancelotti after returning from loan

Gareth Bale looks to have re-found his smile at Real Madrid and brushed off his recent woes, having been handed a route back in from the cold by Carlo Ancelotti.

Bale spent last season on loan at Tottenham after being frozen out by Ancelotti's predecessor, Zinedine Zidane, but has returned to the club in optimistic spirits.

Having started Madrid's opening LaLiga fixture against Alaves at the weekend and dazzled, the future appears bright for him again, as highlighted by Marca.

The newspaper, which is based in Spain, has featured Bale on their front cover for today's edition, with the photo showing the forward letting loose a wide grin.

Their headline is 'the smile is back', and the publication also points out that Bale has been 'loving life' under Ancelotti since he arrived from Everton earlier this summer.

Inside, the full story reveals that Ancelotti has been won over by Bale's 'positive attitude', and it appears that the superstar has sealed a remarkable turnaround.

From barely being able to play for a minute under Zidane to looking ahead to the new season with his first-team role restored, Bale is said to have 'changed'.

The switch in the dugout, which saw Ancelotti return to the Bernabeu, truly looks to have done Bale the world of good, and he is expected to play a big role this term.

Indeed, Bale shined up front and was rejuvenated in a trident with Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema in Madrid's recent 4-1 victory.

Bale was involved in the first goal, having picked out a long pass to Lucas Vasquez, who in turn crossed in towards Hazard. Benzema applied the finishing touch.

Madrid looked to turn the screw early on against the minnows, but Bale was unable to get on the scoresheet himself after sending two shots wide of the target.

After the full-time whistle, Ancelotti admitted that, while Bale still has work to do to get back to peak fitness, he has been impressed by the commitment on show.

'The team has worked really hard in pre-season, every single player has put in a shift,' Ancelotti told reporters.

'Bale has also been totally committed and I'll think he'll improve because he's still not at full fitness.
'I've been impressed with him and he's shown great desire.'

His praise signals a rapid change in fortune from pre-season, too, which saw Bale bizarrely handed the No 50 shirt and miss a penalty on his return to action.

Having started the friendly against AC Milan in Austria, Bale won a spot-kick but was then denied from 12 yards by goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

His 45-minute cameo was a quiet one, and was made even more peculiar in light of Marco Asensio being given his usual No 11 jersey.
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