Ronaldo: Take the pressure off Bale

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo believes there has been too much pressure heaped upon his new teammate Gareth Bale due to his enormous price tag. The Welshman arrived from Tottenham Hotspur in September for a fee of 91 million euros ($124.5 million, £77 million), according to Real president Florentino Perez. And a series of niggling injuries have meant the 24-year-old hasn't yet completed 90 minutes for his new employers. However, Ronaldo, who successfully made the transition from the Premier League to La Liga when he joined Madrid from Manchester United in 2009, is sure Bale will come good. "I think Gareth Bale has done well," he told a press conference on Tuesday. "He had a difficult time because he didn't do a pre-season. I understand that and if you speak with him you can see he is very excited to help the team, but it is better to leave him alone and not add pressure. "He is a fantastic player, a fantastic boy and he always wants to learn. "People put pressure on him because of how much he cost. I leave him alone because I am sure 100 percent that he is going to do well for the club." Due to Bale's lack of playing time so far, the two haven't been able to build up any sort of partnership on the field. However, Ronaldo dismissed any suggestions that their similar style may make them incompatible in the same team. "I think all the good players can play together. I want to play with good players, no matter who they are, and I think we can win important things together." Meanwhile, Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti backed up his Portuguese star and said Bale's return to full fitness following a slight thigh injury would not mean a change of position for Ronaldo. "In general I think good players can play together and it is good for the team if they play together. "The debate (about Bale and Ronaldo) is outside of Real Madrid, not inside. Even objectively, one is used to playing on the left and one on the right. "Cristiano Ronaldo will start on the wing and afterwards he scores goals in the centre because it is very difficult to score goals from on the wing. "It is important not to fixate so much on the position of a player when he scores 60 goals a season." Both Bale and Ronaldo will feature when Madrid host Juventus at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night. Victory will all but secure Real's passage to the last 16 as they comfortably lead Group B with six points from two games, four ahead of the Italian champions, who are second. However, Ronaldo insisted their job is not yet done as they seek to continue the improvement they showed in beating Malaga on Saturday ahead of this weekend's clash away to Barcelona. "It is not more important for Juventus because we have six points and that doesn't qualify anyone. "We expect a strong Juventus, for the size of the club and the experienced players they have. "This is an important week. Obviously we didn't start the season as we wanted but we are improving and we want to gain confidence by beating Juventus ahead of Barcelona." Source: AFP