Bale: Ronaldo is best player in the world

Ronaldo grabbed his 25th goal for Real this season in a 5-0 win over Almeria on Saturday that also saw Bale get on the scoresheet.

The Portuguese has also been in prolific form for his country, with a hat-trick against Sweden last week securing a place at the FIFA World Cup finals for Paulo Bento's side.

"For me, he is the best player in the world and I don't think anyone is near him," said Bale of Ronaldo at an EA Sports event.

"He deserves that award (the Ballon D'Or). The goals and the performances he has put in, especially when you think of the pressure he is under, for Portugal the other day, it shows what a true, true world-class player he is.

"Since I've been here he's been nothing short of unbelievable. The amount of goals he's scored is just mind-blowing this season."

Bale moved to Madrid during the close-season for a world record fee and is grateful for the assistance Ronaldo has provided.

"There is no rivalry at all. We get on very well," added the Welshman. "He's helped me out a lot on and off the pitch.

"Since I've been here he's had nothing bad to say to me; he's just given me encouragement every game, given me confidence.

"He has been sharing his first experiences when he first came here and they have really helped me along. He's been absolutely brilliant.

"We're enjoying playing together and I think that the goals and assists show that we're playing well together. There's still a lot more to come from us both and hopefully we can have a successful season by doing that."