"Welcome, Gareth"

Bale: "I'm ready to start"

There's no stopping Gareth Bale, who wants to feature at Villarreal on Saturday. The first thing he did after arriving from Cardiff was to meet Carlo Ancelotti for a chat: "I'm at your service for whatever you want. I'm eager to start. I'm very motivated and very excited", Bale told him.

After Bale's first training session at Valdebebas on Wednesday, he will now train for the second time where he will be assessed to see if he could be ready for an appearance at El Madrigal.

The Welshman wants to play as soon as he can after his never-ending transfer saga to reach Real Madrid. It seems at the very least he will travel with the squad to face Villarreal, so he can begin to adapt to life in his new club.

Now let's look after Messi

The news of Argentina's World Cup qualification after victory over Paraguay (2-5) was not only a relief for 'La Albiceleste', but also for Barcelona.

Now that Argentina has qualified, both the national side and Barça know it will be much easier to agree on whether Messi will travel and play for his country.

The Argentine will most certainly want to play the two remaining games against Peru and Uruguay, but there will be a freer hand to curb the player's appearances in Argentina's friendlies leading up to the Brazil World Cup.

Gareth Bale and Neymar in first head-to-head

In a survey at MARCA.com, readers voted in favour of the signing of Gareth Bale over that of Neymar. Almost 60% of the participants believed the Welshman is the better signing, while the remaining 40% opted for the Brazilian.

Bale and Neymar have been the two big star-signings of the summer, with one deal being sealed at the start and the other at the end. Madrid paid €91 million for the former Tottenham player, while Barcelona splashed out €57 million for its new star.

The two new goal-machines are sure to set La Liga on fire, with Bale being the reader's present favourite.

"Barça-Real Madrid could be played at midday"

Mediapro CEO Jaume Roures acknowledged on Spanish radio show 'El Partido de las 12' that the upcoming league 'Clásico' between Barcelona and Real Madrid on 27th October at the Camp Nou could kick off at midday.

"This year all the conditions are in place for the first meeting between Real Madrid and Barcelona to be played at that time, because of the way the fixture list has worked out. We don't know yet, because it's not for another two months, but the circumstances are right", he stated.

Roures also talked up the impact a noon 'Clásico' kick-off would have in the Asian market: "It would be a sensation. In Asia, people are even bigger fans of Messi and Cristiano than of Barcelona or Real Madrid".

Finally, the Mediapro head honcho admitted that Barcelona's trip to Rayo on 22nd September, part of the fifth round of fixtures in the 'La Liga' season, could also kick off at midday.

Messi coughs up €5-million tax bill

Messi and his father have paid the €5 million owed to the tax office, thus avoiding a bond being imposed on them that would have guaranteed the eventual repayment of the amount.

As reported by the Court of Justice of Catalonia, the judge investigating the case has refused to impose a bond on Messi given the global profile and solvency of the player and due to the "corrective payment" that his father - also accused - made in August of €5,016,542.27 "in fulfilment of tax obligations in the manner, form and amount the IRS has deemed correct."

The €5 million deposited by Messi's father, on 14th August, was to cover a "fee and interest" in open court proceedings relating to the tax lawsuit for defrauding the IRS to the tune of €4.1 million between 2007 and 2009.

The judge said that after making the "corrective payment" of €5 million "there are no reasonable grounds to understand" that Messi and his father, Jorge Messi "are going to act illegally during the pendency process by withdrawing any goods or assets".

It was stressed that the imposition of a bond on the father and son – as demanded by the state – was not justified as it was deemed not "urgent or necessary".

The judge also agreed to refer the request filed by Messi's lawyer in order to suspend his declaration scheduled for 17th September, as the lawyer has to attend another trial.

"The bad part is over. Now something good is starting"

Carlo Ancelotti had the chance to speak to Gareth Bale on two occasions on Monday - both before and after the player's official presentation when the club welcomed the Welshman and encouraged him to work hard to make up for his lack of pre-season training.

Ancelotti is well aware that Bale has not only fallen well behind in terms of fitness, but has also suffered from the psychological strain of the long negotiation period between Tottenham and Real Madrid.

For this reason, the first thing the Italian coach wants him to do is clear his head and forget about the past. "The bad part is over. Now something very good is starting for him and the team", the coach said.

Immense pressure
Ancelotti already has the player's medical reports, which show his good level of fitness. But it remains to be seen how Bale will handle his first games in a Real shirt and the immense pressure at the club. The winger will need support in this area, which is where Zidane will come in, as he has done so with the other new signings. However, Bale is not Isco, Illarramendi, Carvajal or Casemiro. The Welshman is the star signing and Ancelotti knows that there will be much less patience.

The two conversations between Ancelotti and Bale were important ones, not just because the player was welcomed to his new club, but also as a show of support to let him know he is a key player.

Bale, a unique talent

gareth Bale's medical test - at the Sanitas Clinic in La Moraleja - confirmed the player's superb fitness level and that he is a unique talent which will set Spain on fire, as he did in England, when he reaches his maximum level.

The medical staff highlighted his very low level of body fat and his athletic build. He is a powerful and quick player, who has the ability to accelerate faster than the rest. His features are similar to those of Cristiano Ronaldo, as the pair are both professional athletes who, besides the genetic component, look after their bodies extremely well.

The physical training done by Bale as a child is the basis of his success. As a boy he attended a high-performance school in Cardiff and has managed to adapt his physical characteristics to his talent.

The Welshman has not wasted any time during the two-month negotiation saga. He has performed intense aerobic training and only needs to recover his match fitness.

Dad knows best?

Mesut Özil will be wondering if he has taken the right decision and if his choice to leave his dream club was a hasty one. The midfielder was adored by the fans and had a strong bond with his teammates, as the happiest days of his career were at Real: "My life is perfect at Madrid", he told MARCA almost a year ago.

Father's ambition
The process of Özil's departure from Real Madrid began at the end of last season. Özil and his father asked for a contract extension to 2019 and €7 million after tax per season. But the club made its intentions clear: "Now is not the time".

The player's father was very upset when he left the offices at the Bernabéu and began to put feelers in the market with the aim of pressuring Madrid with worldwide bids. At the same time, he constantly told his son that the club did not value him and that he should think about changing teams. Thanks to his father's insistence, the player began to believe what he was told.

"He loved Real Madrid, but they have done his head in", said a person who has accompanied the player throughout his career. "He doesn´t know what he has done yet, but in a few weeks he'll realise what a mistake he's made. I hope I'm wrong, but his father may have put a finish to his career with this decision. He was going to be a legend in Madrid, but we'll see what happens when he is training in the rain at Arsenal with lower-level players"

Mourinho: "Özil is unique. He's the best no. 10 in the world"

The former Real Madrid manager José Mourinho, now in charge of Chelsea, talked about Mesut Özil's departure from his old club: "Özil is unique. There is no copy of him – not even a bad one. He is the best number 10 in the world."

The Portuguese gaffer praised the German's form during his time at Real. "He made things very easy for me and for his teammates with his football vision and the decisions he made," he assured, arguing that it was a mistake to let him go.

"Everyone loves him and sees a bit of Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane in him," he raved. Özil's move to Arsenal is bad news for Mourinho, given that the North London club is one of Chelsea's direct rivals. "We didn’t accept Arsenal’s offer for Demba Ba because the signing of Özil makes them title contenders," he went on to say.