Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez Give Real Madrid a Glimpse into Post-Ronaldo Future

It was after midnight when Rafa Benitez finally sat down for his post-match press conference, the Real Madrid manager positively glowing despite his work duties carrying over into the early hours of the morning following a 10:30 p.m. kick-off.

"I'm delighted with the team's performance," he said, relayed by Marca, with a smile on his face and perhaps a sense of vindication in his mind. "I said that the goals would come."

If he'd believed that himself, plenty of others hadn't. 

A day earlier, again reported by Marca, Benitez had spun a strange yarn about a miller, his son and a donkey, a minute-long tale becoming a curious metaphor to deflect criticism over the team's sluggish start in front of goal and conjecture over his selections against Sporting Gijon at El Molinon:

"

A man and his son are walking with a donkey alongside them. A man walks past and says, 'Why are you walking when you have a donkey?' The father says that he is right and gets on the donkey.

Then another man passes by and says, 'How can the father let the poor boy walk?' The father gets off and tells the boy to get on, but another man walks past and says, 'How can the young sprightly boy let his father walk while he rides?

"

It was an odd way to get his message across, but the message itself was a simple one: You can't please everyone. Little more than 24 hours later, Benitez didn't have to; his team had done that for him. 

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After 94 seconds against Real Betis at the Bernabeu on Sunday, Real Madrid were one goal to the good. By half-time, it was two. Moments after the break, it was three. After a few more, it was four. By the end, it was five. After two games, Benitez's supposedly defensive Real Madrid are the joint-leading scorers in the division.

Significantly, four of the five strikes against Betis came from James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale, two players who'd been major points of focus throughout the week. Rodriguez hadn't started the game against Sporting despite claiming on his Twitter account he felt "mejor que nunca," better than ever; Bale had, but he had drifted out of it as spaces narrowed in front of him. The whole exercise had given Benitez's detractors more ammunition than an apocalyptic army in a Tom Cruise film. 

Here, though, that ammunition was blunted. The Colombian started in what was essentially Madrid's very best XI, immediately announcing his return in only the second minute by whipping a cross onto the head of a surging Bale for the opener. "The biggest positives from the game can be summed up from the first five minutes: intensity, aggression, ambition and cutting edge," Benitez said, shared by the team's official website. 

Roughly half an hour later, Rodriguez stood over a free-kick from an acute angle on the right side of the penalty area. "There's a slight gap there for James to go for at the near post," said Sky Sports' Rob Palmer. James smashed it in off the inside of the far one instead.

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After the break, it was Bale who took the turn of creator, setting up Karim Benzema for Real Madrid's third. Minutes later, James completed his own personal skills exhibition, flicking Toni Kroos' half-pass, half-strike into the air above him and bicycle-kicking it past Antonio Adan.

Four minutes from time, Bale completed his own version with a very Bale special, beating Adan from 30 yards with a searing and swerving left-foot thump. 

Up on the board the scoreline read 5-0, the only surprise being that one major name was missing: Cristiano Ronaldo.

It wasn't that it had been a poor or quiet performance from the Ballon d'Or winner. Not at all. Across 93 minutes, he took six shots on goal, more than any other player on the pitch, five of them on target. When he tried to beat Adan by going over him, the 'keeper stayed big and got a hand on it; when he tried to go under him, Adan got low and got a foot on it. On the occasions he looked set to break through on goal, Francisco Molinero and German Pezzella hacked him down. 

What was notable, however, was the influence Bale and Rodriguez exerted in comparison. Admittedly, Betis were awful, but that's not the point here. The Colombian roamed from the right, the Welshman roamed from the middle, both of them instrumental in Real's sweeping moves, the pair afforded the freedom to play on instinct rather than to strict instructions.

Often at Real Madrid, it's only ever Ronaldo who's so empowered. 

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Consequently, what Bale and Rodriguez looked like on Saturday were the Portuguese's equals. Their needs catered for, their prominence recognised, the two 20-somethings played as if they were the stars—Rodriguez running the game as he pleased, Bale choosing his moments to split it open with his power. 

Instead of being auxiliary figures, instead of functioning as Ronaldo's ball-delivery men, the pair demanded others be that to them.

It was a glimpse into the future. 

Already, Rodriguez looks every bit Ronaldo's successor at the Bernabeu as the Portuguese approaches 31 and enters the twilight years of his career. With sublime skill, a Galactico tag that sits comfortably upon his shoulders, looks that fit the profile and a penchant for the spectacular, the Colombian is the modern Real Madrid, the club's archetypal superstar. He's the face of Real Madrid-in-waiting. 

For Bale to ride alongside in that future, he'll need a big season in the Spanish capital. A perception-altering one. Whereas Rodriguez has become an instant hit, the Welshman remains a polarising figure in Madrid, his detractors as rich in number as his manager's. Talented but flawed they say, explosive but awkward. He's got to change that, and he can, Benitez and president Florentino Perez already showing a commitment to helping him do so by giving him the role he craves.

It's still early days, but the intent is encouraging for Bale, his quest now clearer. For Rodriguez, it's only a matter of time.

At Real Madrid, a future that might be just one or two years away could look very much like Saturday. 

Follow @TimDCollins