'Gareth Bale will never be as good as Cristiano Ronaldo'
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Southampton legend Matthew Le Tissier has praised the quality of Gareth Bale, but does not think that the Welshman will ever reach the level set by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo is widely regarded as the best player in the world on current form and has already scored 22 times in just 15 games this season.
"I don't think he'll ever be as good as Cristiano. He's a very good player but I think Ronaldo has been at the highest level for quite some time," Le Tissier told ElEnganche.es
"If he does reach that level then it will be a surprise to me because I feel Ronaldo is a better footballer than Bale.
"That said, I never thought he would work so hard and I always believed he would play on the left because of his great pace.
"I knew he'd score goals from free-kicks but to see him working so hard and scoring the goals he does so regularly has been a surprise.
"It's not what I imagined when I saw him so young."
Le Tissier, now a pundit for Sky Sports, has monitored the progress of Bale since he was a youngster at Southampton.
He added: "I realised from the first moment I saw him that he stood out, that he was different. He scored goals and had a lot of athleticism and energy.
"You didn't need to be a genius to know he was going to be a great footballer."
Ronaldo is widely regarded as the best player in the world on current form and has already scored 22 times in just 15 games this season.
"I don't think he'll ever be as good as Cristiano. He's a very good player but I think Ronaldo has been at the highest level for quite some time," Le Tissier told ElEnganche.es
"If he does reach that level then it will be a surprise to me because I feel Ronaldo is a better footballer than Bale.
"That said, I never thought he would work so hard and I always believed he would play on the left because of his great pace.
"I knew he'd score goals from free-kicks but to see him working so hard and scoring the goals he does so regularly has been a surprise.
"It's not what I imagined when I saw him so young."
Le Tissier, now a pundit for Sky Sports, has monitored the progress of Bale since he was a youngster at Southampton.
He added: "I realised from the first moment I saw him that he stood out, that he was different. He scored goals and had a lot of athleticism and energy.
"You didn't need to be a genius to know he was going to be a great footballer."
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- Cristiano Ronaldo sold 1m Real Madrid jerseys in 2013
- Bale responds to Ronaldo's tough tackle by nutmegging him
