We are halfway through the Spanish League season, which has featured a number of major stories.

At this point last season, the big story was the big year Neymar was having and the mediocre one that Gareth Bale was enduring at Real Madrid. They were the big story because they were the two of the most expensive transfers recorded in the history of the sport. The spotlight was beaming on them and people were watching their every move.

Though the Welshman would eventually top the Brazilian in terms of performances by the end of the year, the story seems to be a bit different this time around.

Everyone praised Bale for his big goals in big moments in 2013-14, and he wound up with a solid 15 strikes and 12 assists in 27 Spanish League tilts while providing six goals and four assists over 12 Champions League tilts.

Fan perception has been rather negative toward Bale thus far. Many are expecting him to be dominant the way he was last year without realizing that he is having a solid season overall. Bale has 10 goals and five assists through 17 Spanish League tilts while only scoring two goals and one assist through five Champions League games. Bale is still on pace to score 20 Spanish League goals if he plays the remaining 18 games, but he will only put up 10 assists overall at his current pace. It is a decent trade off, but one wonders if that number would be higher if not for his tendency to be selfish in front of goal.

No one can determine how he will do in Europe because Real Madrid could easily fall in the quarterfinals with a poor matchup.

The advanced statistics show Bale is putting up solid numbers across the board. He is taking more shots per game this year (3.9 per game over 3.3 per game last season), and he is making about the same number of key passes per game (1.4. to 1.5). He is dribbling a little less often, but that is mainly due to Madrid's new style of play, which limits his space up the pitch.

He is, however, finding himself losing possession a bit more often, and he is caught off sides more often this year. That again has to do with Madrid's tendency to work the ball high up the opposition area, limiting his space and timing. Bale is also making more poor controls per game, but that might also be the result of lacking space and time.

And even on the defensive side of the game there is no reason to panic. Bale is averaging fewer interceptions per game, but he is creating less fouls (0.4 per game to 0.7) while making the same number of tackles (0.9 per game) he was making a year ago. The decrease in interceptions (0.1 per game to 0.7) could have a lot to do with Madrid's having the ball more often this year, thus requiring less defensive effort from the Welshman. He is making more clearances per game (0.4 to 0.3 per game) and more blocks as well (0.2 per game to 0.1).

That said, Bale has been highly streaky this year and, in recent weeks, has struggled to score. He has seven goals and five assists in his last 17 games for Madrid after starting the season with five goals and two assists in his first six games.

And how about Neymar?

A year ago the Brazilian had started strong but fell apart in the latter half of the season. He finished with a decent nine goals and eight assists in 26 Spanish League tilts while also recording four goals and three assists in 10 Champions League matches.

But this year he has already blow those stats out of the water. In just 18 Spanish League tilts, he has 15 goals and four assists, while in five Champions League games, he has three goals. And that does not account for his four goals in three Copa del Rey tilts. He is currently on pace to score 29 goals in Spain this year and record eight assists. That is a huge improvement from year to year. And his scoring has improved in recent weeks as he has five goals in his last three matches.

From an advanced statistics perspective, he looks steady. He is averaging fewer key passes per game (0.8 per game from 1.6 a year ago), but he is being tasked with having a more offensive-minded mentality. He is taking more shots per game (2.8 per game against 2.6). He is offside less often and is getting dispossessed less often as well.

His passing percentage is down, but he is making more passes per game in more risky areas. Again, this has a lot to do with his task of moving forward and creating goal scoring opportunities.

Defensively there is nothing to truly complain about. Neymar has never been a defender, and he has not suddenly transformed into one. His statistics remain steady from a year ago and are shockingly not that different from Bale's.

So, who has had a better season? Considering that the advanced stats show improvement for both players all around, the only real metric to use at this point of comparison is goal scoring and creating. And at this point in time, Neymar is running away with it.