An Aussie in Madrid: Ronaldo is gone, and the show might have improved

As an Aussie in Madrid, you'll never quite get used to how enormous football here is.

Forget jet-lag or the language barrier. When the last game you attended was Sydney Olympic v APIA Leichhardt, with about 100 people in attendance, Real Madrid will feel like an alternate universe.

Madrid has been a major population centre for over a thousand years.

But for all the impressive museums and historic sites, the biggest attraction in town is a Real Madrid game at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

That is not an exaggeration. Between matches and stadium tours it has more visitors than any other site in Madrid.

On a warm Saturday night, this modern day colosseum was filled with 60,000 people, wanting to see the indomitable lions of Real up against the near hopeless gladiators of Leganes.

It was clear from kick-off that 59,500 people knew what they wanted to see, and it wasn't a heroic escape by the gladiators.

500 fans of Leganes had made the trip from the Southern outskirts of Madrid and sat in the top corner of the stadium praying for another miracle, Just as they did in January when they stunned Real in this stadium 2-1 in the Copa del Rey.

This time there would be no upset. This was a procession. A coronation for the latest installment of this historical team.

And the more you experience of a match in one of football's Meccas - a place where every fan should go at least once - the more it feels like a great big Hollywood production. You've got the star names, the incredible set and the dispiriting predictability.

At half-time the score was 1-1. An early Gareth Bale goal cancelled out by a Guido Carrillo penalty, the latter previously of Monaco and on loan from Southampton.

I asked the journalists around me if, with 45 minutes still to play, the match was in the balance. All dismissed such a ridiculous notion.

This Hollywood production was clearly a superhero movie.

You knew the protagonists, Real Madrid, were never really in danger. It was false drama that merely moves the narrative along.

The audience wasn't here to see who would win, they were here to see how Real would win. They were here for the action scenes.

And impressive scenes they were. If their star man from previous productions, Cristiano Ronaldo, has found a new franchise, this ensemble cast was reveling in their increased roles.

Karim Benzema is liberated, according to the local press.

Last season it took him until February to score three league goals. He scored twice and now has four in just three matches.

Both strikes were evidence of his elevated status in Ronaldo's absence.

The first: a header at the far post, a position that last season would have been occupied by the Portuguese superstar.

Initially ruled out by the referee, the goal was awarded after the use of VAR for the very first time in this historic stadium.

The crowd roared with delight. The most visible team in the world had found a new way to succeed with the help of cameras.

In previous seasons, Benzema would often be on the last line to occupy defenders and bounce the ball off for a teammate to shoot.

Now he is the one receiving all the opportunities.

His second goal came from a smart finish after a brilliant one-two with Luka Modric.

Ronaldo might be gone - although you can still buy his old Real shirt on nearly every street corner - but Real's hopes of a ridiculous fourth straight UEFA Champions League title are not.

Benzema is reborn and looks more like the formidable talent that was at Lyon in the late 2000s and threatened to become an icon.

Bale, who still after five years in the Spanish capital does not speak the language, will have even more opportunities to lead the attack of the world's most famous team, even if it'll be his feet that do it.

Three goals in three matches puts him on course for his most prolific season yet.

Now that Ronaldo has left, it is clear who the home crowd’s favourite is: Sergio Ramos.

If anyone defines what modern Real Madrid represents it's Ramos.

He's a warrior in defence, as competitive as they come, but is all too aware of what people pay attention to; goals.

He has two already this season.

When he converted his second-half penalty to make it 4-1, he celebrated it like a charismatic host of a game show.

Posing for one camera behind the goal, seemingly ignoring the massive studio audience, and after a traditional group hug with his teammates, gestured towards a second camera on the sidelines.

This man knows how to work the angles. This man knows that in the globalised world of football there are more Real Madrid fans outside of Madrid than in it.

If Ramos is the host of this production, Modric is the director.

He will set the tempo with his range of passing. He will decide how best to break down Leganes' mostly organised defence.

A good director will continuously have the larger grand view of the project in the forefront of his mind. And Modric who, like Pirlo and Xavi before him, checks over both shoulders every single time he receives the ball is never caught blindsided.

The crowd, many of whom were wearing Ronaldo jerseys, chanted for him to win the Ballon d'Or. Another sign that they are happy to move on.

As the second half continued, Leganes began to collapse, as if realising how much everything was against them.

As if realising they were just this week's sacrifice for a ruthless audience expecting entertainment.

They spent €15 million (A$24 million) on their whole squad. Which, given they sold two players for €22 million (A$35 million) this past transfer window, tells you all you need to know about their chances in just their third ever season in La Liga.

Every Real player began to pour forward, Ramos and Varane often in the same space as Isco and Benzema. It was now a party, the only exception was Casemiro who waited on the halfway line, like a designated driver who sacrifices his own fun so everyone else can enjoy.

There were other sacrifices, however, most likely involuntary.

Keylor Navas, minutes before the match, lifted the trophy for the best goalkeeper of the Champions League last season. Then he took his place on the bench.

He had been replaced by Thibaut Courtois, who was eliminated from the Champions League last season after letting in two goals through his legs. Only at Madrid could this scene be possible.

As time passes, different directors will take over this production, different stars will take the leading roles, but Real Madrid will always enthrall the masses.

Stars like Ronaldo will inevitably leave, but the show will always go on. Early reviews suggest it might be better than before.