Will Real Madrid Ever Be Considered 'Gareth Bale's Club'?

Gareth Bale exists in an interesting space.

Earth's most expensive footballer, the Welshman is not Real Madrid's preeminent player; this notion seems compelling—especially considering his age and unquestioned talent.

Entering the third year of his Spanish expedition after leaving Tottenham Hotspur for £85.3 million in the 2013 summer transfer window, Bale has established himself as one of the world's foremost attacking players but has yet to overtake his team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese superstar turns 31 in six months time, and though an exceptional athlete in fantastic condition, the £80 million man should start slowing over the next few years.

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This inevitability leaves Real Madrid with a rather important decision to make: When do they begin the process of transitioning from Ronaldo's team to Bale's team or—possibly more accurate—do they even want a Bale team at all?

Madrid has been Ronaldo's squad since his then-world-record transfer from Manchester United in 2009. He was the perfect player to take the Galacticos mantle from the previous rendition of David Beckham, Luis Figo, Brazilian Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and the rest of Florentino Perez's lucrative, world-class expenditures.

Possessing a winger's pace, a No. 10's technique and a striker's finish, the then-24-year-old was a promotional dream—and still is for the 32-time La Liga champions.

Bale, whose fee suggests charisma and what might be described as "South American flair," does not exactly exude the levels of marketability his opposite number displays.

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Football clubs, regrettably, have become more business than anything (assuming they never were is also problematic) and are assisted by marquee names—at every level—in generating interest/money.

Sharing company with the likes of Lionel Messi, Usain Bolt and Michael Jordan, Ronaldo breathes rarefied air as one of the world's foremost sportsman. Southampton's former youth product, as it stands, does not feel capable of cracking a group of that calibre.

Moreover, undone by his birth country, Bale will be hard-pressed to find success in World Cups with Wales. Not performing on the globe's largest footballing stage, every four years, significantly dents his capability of establishing an international brand on par with others who can/do.

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Possibly a sign of hope, Wales are certainties for the European Championships next summer—only a heart-breaking collapse could deny them entry—but the Euros cannot (and do not) compete with the World Cup in terms of exposure.

Were football based on skill alone, Real Madrid's first-choice right-winger would have every chance at taking over once Ronaldo gives way.

Pacy, direct and improving his goalscoring/confidence in possession, Bale could easily become a face of Real's new side—alongside James Rodriguez (24) and possibly David de Gea (24) if/when the goalkeeper arrives at the Santiago Bernabeu from Manchester United, as speculated by Spanish publication Marca.

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Football, though, is not solely skill-based. The factors for handing a person the proverbial reins are varied and specific to a club's needs.

At Spurs, Bale was the alpha. There was no question whose shirt was going to sell the most, who was going to be on billboards, tickets, etc. At Madrid, however, the criteria for being "the club's man" is infinitely more complicated and punitive.

With Perez in charge, nothing can be blocked or dismissed from transpiring—because Real's president is as unpredictable as the wind—but Real Madrid handing Bale the keys (to arguably world football's largest kingdom) does not appear a strong possibility, no matter how much money they paid for him.

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*Stats are via WhoScored.com; transfer fees are via Soccerbase where not noted.