Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gareth Bale has insisted that he is flattered by comparisons made between himself and the world's best players.
Bale's form for Spurs in recent months has led to comparisons being drawn to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but the Welsh winger has revealed that he doesn't pay much attention to the hype surrounding his performances.
The 23-year-old told Sport Magazine: "I think anybody would love to be mentioned alongside the best in the world.
"It's flattering, but I don't really look too much into it. I don't get the newspapers or read too many reports, so I don't really know how much hype there is. Obviously my friends tell me things, but I just treat every day as normal and focus on my job.
"I don't model my game on Ronaldo's. I have my own way of playing and it's not exactly the same but we do have similar attributes. I just like watching the best players: seeing Messi and Ronaldo. I've watched Ronaldo in the past and you do take things from other people's games to try to improve as a player, which I have - hopefully."
Bale has scored 19 goals in 31 appearances for Spurs this season.
Darren Plant
