Real Madrid visited Villarreal in their latest La Liga match last weekend. And it was another thriller for Los Blancos and Zinedine Zidane, to say the least.

The Whites were twice trailing going 1-0 and 2-1 down before they managed to salvage a point, which was their fifth overall before the start of the international break.

By their high standards, this hasn't been the ideal opening.

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But it could've been even worse had Gareth Bale, of all people, not arrived to aid his team when they needed him the most, bagging two goals on the night and making sure they head into the break undefeated.

And the photo below truly encapsulates what happened that night against Villarreal and just how important the Welshman was.

This is an image very few could have anticipated during a tempestuous summer.

Indeed, Bale looks like a key part of the squad once again in the embrace of his teammates.

Not many would've expected this to be possible just a couple of weeks ago when Zidane was seemingly rooting for Bale to be sold.

Their relationship has been bogged down in real turmoil as of late but it seems that they have called for a truce, at least for the time being, and the Frenchman has accepted him as part of the squad.

If these early signs are any indication, Bale, much to the surprise of the footballing world, might just play a significant role at Real Madrid this season whether Zidane likes it or not.

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