Gareth Bale finally silenced the boos and embraced the cheers in his final act as a Real Madrid player late on Sunday night.
Bale, who had spent 24 hours playing a rare central role in the Madrid celebrations after winning the Champions League on Saturday night, appeared to earn the respect he so deserves as he was introduced to the Bernabeu crowd one last time at a special event to end Sunday's victory parade.
As he was called onto the field by the stadium announcer amid the spectacular setting, the jeers many would have expected didn't come. Instead, a standing ovation unfolded for a player who won a remarkable five Champions Leagues and 16 trophies in all during nearly a decade at the famous club.
