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Gareth Bale returned to training with Real Madrid on Friday and so began the last chapter of his career in Spain.
Carlo Ancelotti will hope his last season is as good as his first, when under his management Bale scored the winner in the Spanish Cup final and starred in the club's tenth European Cup.
Both player and coach know that's a lot to ask but with no money being spent by Real Madrid this summer the club are having to wrap up some old toys for Christmas and hope the kids don't notice – Bale, Martin Odegaard and Dani Ceballos are being billed as the 'new' signings for this season.
Carlo Ancelotti has arrived at Real Madrid banking on Gareth Bale being motivated enough to recapture his goal-scoring form in the famous white shirt
The pair enjoyed a strong relationship during Ancelotti's last tenure and Bale performed well
All are back from north London loans. There are still possibilities for Ceballos to find another club before the new season starts, because Madrid still need to trim their bloated squad, but Bale's £15m net annual wages will prevent any such deal for him.
He will be there for Ancelotti to use from day one. Straight away the Italian coach, a master at getting the best out of older players, has indicated he was ready for the challenge by talking up what Bale has to offer.
'He hasn't played a lot in the Premier League,' he said in first press conference. 'But he has scored a lot of goals. If he's