Gareth Bale: 'Cristiano Ronaldo is the best'

Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale has said that he would love to be "half as good" as Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 23-year-old, who has been linked with a move to become Ronaldo's teammate at Real Madrid, believes that the Portuguese superstar is the best player in the world.

"The way he plays, I think he is the best all-round player in the world," Bale told reporters. "People have said things in the past [that] the stuff he does is similar in a way to what I do. All I can do is keep playing my football.

"He is right up there and a benchmark for every player who wants to be as good as him.

"You set your sights [on playing like him] - he is on a different planet apart from [Lionel] Messi. He is one of those players that everyone aspires to and I'd love to be half as good as him."

Ronaldo has scored 21 goals in 20 La Liga games this season.