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Gareth Bale is now officially a Real Madrid player after his prolonged transfer from Tottenham Hotspur was confirmed on Sunday.
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Although both clubs refused to disclose the exact transfer fee, it has been widely reported that Bale's signature has cost Madrid even more than the €94 million they paid for Bale's new teammate Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2009.
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However, far from the fanfare that welcomed the Portuguese's arrival in the Spanish capital, there is some scepticism as to whether Madrid really need Bale, especially at such a staggering price.
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Ronaldo arrived having been crowned the World Player of the Year in 2008 and with three Premier League titles and a Champions League to his name. More importantly, he has more than lived up to his price tag with 202 goals in his 202 appearances to date.
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Bale, by contrast, has only ever played in the Champions League for one season and despite his spectacular individual displays last season, he still couldn't lift Spurs into the top four in the Premier League.
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It is not even immediately clear where Bale fits into the new Real Madrid project under new manager Carlo Ancelotti.
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The signings of midfielders Asier Illarramendi and in particular Isco earlier in the transfer window were designed to make Real's style more closely resemble that of rivals Barcelona with a more patient, possession based build-up.
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Ancelotti himself said last week that his idea was "not to play on the counter-attack" in a thinly veiled reference to the rapid counter-attacking style Jose Mourinho employed during his time at the Bernabeu.
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However, with Bale now joining Ronaldo, Real have two of the most devastating counter-attacking players on the planet.
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A further complication is that Bale has also thrived at Spurs in the wide left position that Ronaldo has occupied during his time in Madrid.
Finally, the deal is done, after so much noise on the papers of newspaper and online. A combination of Bale and Ronaldo would mean disaster for defenders and goal keepers. ;D
That is a good move for the Welsh Player so let us hope his career blossoms from now on...Real Madrid is a dope club!