Bale flew to the Spanish capital on Monday morning after Madrid ended more than two months of speculation, gossip and negotiation on Sunday night by announcing they had agreed a deal – thought to be worth €100m (£85.3m) – with Spurs for the 24-year-old.
Levy had won a small victory, waiting until the penultimate day to give the all‑clear; he had won a big victory with the fee too. But Bale had what he wanted. Called to the stage, he gave a timid "hello" that was largely drowned out by the crowd cheering and chanting his name.
"I just want to say that it is amazing to be here," he continued. "It's a dream and I hope we can bring the 10th European Cup to the club." The decima is Madrid's obsession and it was the kind of line that would normally draw a huge roar but he had delivered it in English. "I'm going to try a few words in Spanish," he said, adding: "Es un sueño para mí jugar en el Real Madrid, gracias. Gracias por esta gran acogida. Hala Madrid!" (It is a dream for me to play at Real Madrid, thank you. Thank you for this great welcome. Up Madrid!)