The Galacticos meet at last! Ronaldo welcomes £86m Bale to the Bernabeu
The two most expensive footballers in the world have met for the first time since Gareth Bale's incredible £86million move to Real Madrid.
He shook hands and shared a warm greeting with new team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo - the former most expensive player in the world - after reporting back to the club's training complex following the international break.
Bale played 32 minutes of Wales's World Cup qualifier with Serbia in Cardiff on Tuesday night and returned immediately to Spain in order to prepare for a likely debut at Villarreal on Saturday evening.
VIDEO Scroll down to watch Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo in Real Madrid white
Can't stop smiling: Gareth Bale looked delighted as he trained with Real Madrid for the first time at their Valdebebas training ground on Wednesday afternoon. The £86m world record signing is set to make his debut against Villarreal on Saturday
Helping hand: Coach Carlo Ancelotti talks Bale through his tactics during a training session as the real players reconvened after international duty
Friends reunited: Bale talks to former Tottenham team-mate Luka Modric as they walk out to the training pitch
Team talk: Bale (third left) stands behind Cristiano Ronaldo as he listens to Ancelotti
Dressed casually and sporting a trademark slick haircut, Bale was given a guided tour of the club's facilities, meeting Carlo Ancelotti and his colleagues on the coaching staff.
Ronaldo was formerly the world's most expensive player - Real paid Manchester United £80m for him back in 2009 - but the Portuguese, who has also been on international duty this week, didn't seem to mind that his status had been usurped.
After both Marcelo and Fabio Coentrao picked up injuries during the international break, it's possible that Bale will make his debut out of position at left back on Saturday.
Galacticos United: Cristiano Ronaldo welcomes Gareth Bale to Real Madrid on Wednesday
Welcome aboard: Bale and Ronaldo share a smile as they arrive at Real Madrid's training ground
Greeting: Coach Carlo Ancelotti shows Bale around
Guided tour: Bale has a look around the training complex and gets to know the staff
Brazilian Marcelo hurt his thigh during the 6-0 thrashing of Australia at the weekend and missed the friendly with Portugal in New York on Tuesday night.
Coentrao - whose deadline day move to Man United fell through at the last moment - limped off during that same match, which Brazil won 3-1.
Casual: Bale didn't seem to be feeling the weight of expectation following his world record transfer
Bale knows how strong the Real Madrid squad is - so he has been bulking up in preparation for the tough task of cementing himself in the team at the Bernabeu.
From his early days at Southampton he was known for his professionalism, athleticism and commitment to training, and just like Ronaldo, Bale has transformed from skinny teenager to supreme, muscular athlete.
Bale's pre-season has been disrupted because of his move from Tottenham to Real but he has spoken before about how crucial having a good summer is.
Arrival: Gareth Bale lands in Madrid after being on international duty with Wales
Question time: Bale was besieged by reporters as he got out of the car at his hotel in Madrid
Muscling in: Bale has worked hard to bulk up
Nothing to stomach: Bale reveals his six-pack as he prepares to come on
Armed and dangerous: Bale is much stronger, down to his training regime
Slim pickings: A much thinner teenage Bale (right) training with Wales in 2006
Bale told FourFourTwo: 'It’s vitally important. It gets me physically and mentally fit for the season. If you don’t complete pre-season you’re 80 per cent more likely to get injured during the season.
'I’ve found that if I get a good pre-season under my belt it kick-starts my season and I hit the ground running.'
He has always looked for ways to get ahead and last season was spotted wearing special non-slip 'Trusox' socks, which claim to help anchor a player’s feet inside his boots, improving traction and increasing acceleration.
Working in a similar way to a golf glove, the socks have distinctive rectangular, non-slip patches on the outside and inside, which help to stabilise the foot inside the sock and the sock against the boot, allowing the wearer to push off with optimal power so less energy is wasted.
Strong candidate: Cristiano Ronaldo is a supreme athlete
Biceps bulging: Ronaldo takes his shirt off and celebrates a goal
Well on his way: Bale was looking after his body when he was at Tottenham last season
Transformer: Ronaldo went from being a skinny teen (left) to being built like a middleweight boxer
On the ball: Bale is unveiled at the Bernabeu and should make his Real debut on Saturday
For a player like Bale, whose game is based on lightning pace and, increasingly, the ability to hit powerful shots and free-kicks from distance, this is particularly important.
The Welshman also started using black Kinesio tape to help prevent hamstring and quadriceps tears in September 2010 and wears strapping around his ankles.
As for the weekend, Wales boss Chris Coleman says Bale is not fit enough to last a full match and it would be 'dangerous' to make him play 90 minutes.
'We have looked at him in these 10 days and he is nowhere near ready for 90 minutes even if Spanish football is slower,' Coleman told the FIFA website.
'If he starts on Saturday, he will not finish the game. I would be amazed if he does.
'He may get 45 minutes, I don't know, but he will feel better in himself after 30 minutes here.
'But he has only had four training sessions in two months which is dangerous.'
Don't over stretch him: Wales boss Chris Coleman says Bale is not ready to play a full match
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