Gareth Bale shines in Real Madrid's 2016/2017 La Liga opener

As the 2016/2017 Spanish top league opened another book of legends and records, Gareth Bale required fewer than two minutes to rocket home a header and put Real Madrid up against Real Sociedad in Los Blancos‘ La Liga season opener. Bale would also score with the last kick of the game to bookend a comfortable 3-0 away victory for the winners of the 2015-16 Champions League. Being a potential contester for the upcoming prestigious Ballon  d'Or, the Welshman continued his case for the 2016 Ballon d’Or following an impressive run at Euro 2016 over the summer, after a strong conclusion to the 2015-16 season. By the end of the 2015-16 season, Bale played as the central attacking figure for Zinedine Zidane’s revitalized Real Madrid.