A football pundit suggested that Gareth Bale was a better player than Cristiano Ronaldo last week because ‘he’s simply unplayable’. Although it seemed a quite ludicrous suggestion at the time that the Welshman was better than his Portuguese counterpart, may be the comparisons between the two aren’t as wide of the mark as people think they are.
Positionally they are similar but definitely not the same. Ronaldo is more of a left forward, regularly playing on the shoulder of the final defender and is almost always the furthest player forward when his team attacks.
Bale, is more of a left midfielder who used to be known for running down the wing with lightning acceleration and capable of producing moments of brilliance in matches. However, in recent weeks, Bale has started to find form that we have never seen from him. He has been playing all across the pitch for Tottenham and is without doubt, key to their ambitions in the future.
He has been winning games single-handedly much like the Portuguese and comparisons between him and Ronaldo have begun to surface more and more. Bale’s progression since moving forward from full back is not so unlike Ronaldo’s progression at a similar age at Manchester United. It is hard to argue with the fact that if Bale was deployed in a similar position to Ronaldo, as a left forward, that he would have a lot of joy.
Ronaldo’s goal tally compared to Bale’s is enough for some people to immediately quash comparisons between the two. However, there is many more years for Bale to improve as a player and the rate he is doing so, no one can know just what he is capable of in the years to come. They are so similar physically as both stand at 6 foot 1 and have added incredible power and pace to an already impressive base.
Both picked up a reputation for simulation in their time in England, they have had very similar experiences of the English game in particular. Both have been criticised for taking on too many long range shots, Ronaldo for one takes on the most shots in Europe. Both also have a similar importance to their clubs, without them Real Madrid and Tottenham would probably find themselves further down the table than where they are now.
In terms of statistics, Ronaldo has a huge advantage. He has scored 24 league goals with a chance conversion rate of 14.6% this season compared to Bale’s 13 at a chance conversion of 12.6%. However, it is worth noting that Bale has doubled his chance conversion rate from last season, a sign that he has really developed in the last year much like Ronaldo did at a similar stage at Manchester United. Both players peaked last season in terms of assists, creating the most goals that they have in their whole career.
However, Ronaldo has produced just 4 assists while Bale has produced just one solitary assist this season. This could be down to the quality of finisher at their respective clubs. Unsurprisingly, Bale has a better defensive record than Ronaldo but that is down to the position they play on the pitch and due to the fact that Bale is expected to track back more than his Portuguese counterpart.
Although it is obvious to everyone that Ronaldo is the better footballer currently, denying that there is even a comparison to be made between the two is extremely foolish as there are so many comparisons that can be drawn between the two players.
Bale is currently in Ronaldo’s shadow but there is still chance that he could rapidly develop much like Ronaldo did. Bale shows week in week out that he has amazing potential and is surely only going to improve in the coming years. Who knows how far he will develop as he reaches his prime, the progression he has shown in recent weeks is extraordinary.
If he keeps the rate up he will no doubt gain a move away from Tottenham one day and at just 23 years old he has the potential to become one of the world’s top players. No disrespect to Spurs but it would be extremely interesting to see how Bale’s statistics would fair if he moved to a club like Real Madrid and how they would compare to Ronaldo’s and where he would be deployed in their system.
Even if it is unlikely that Bale will reach Ronaldo’s goal-scoring levels in the future, it would be extremely stupid to completely dismiss a comparison at all.
For more from me, find me on Twitter: @TimSimon90
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