Neymar outshines Bale in El Clasico soccer showdown
Of the two blockbuster signings, the Brazilian forward shows he has settled in much better, surpassing the Welsh winger on the biggest stage
Gareth Bale was given his chance to shine on the biggest stage of all when he made his El Clasico debut for Real Madrid against Barcelona.
However, unfortunately for the Welshman, it was another expensive import making his bow in the fixture who shone, as Brazilian-born Neymar scored Barca's opener and then teed up Alexis Sanchez to make the game safe 12 minutes from time.
Jese Rodriguez, who plays as a forward pulled a goal back for Madrid in stoppage time to make the final score 2-1.
But Bale had long since departed by that point as he was replaced by Karim Benzema with half an hour remaining in the showdown.
"I am very happy to score such a special goal, but above all for the three points that we achieved," said Neymar. "It was very exciting to score in the game that every player wants to play in."
The contrast between the summer's blockbuster signings couldn't have been greater and merely summed up the differences in how they have adapted to La Liga in their first two months in Spain.
Neymar has benefited massively from the relatively swift process that saw his US$78.1 million move from Santos completed before Barcelona had even completed last season.