Gareth Bale hopes to reach Cristiano Ronaldo level

Gareth Bale has expressed an ambition to reach the level of Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

The current Ballon d'Or holder has already exceeded the 20-goal mark this season, and Bale says that the Portuguese hitman is setting the standard all across Europe.

"I'm improving all the time and trying to get to the level Cristiano is at," the Welshman is quoted as saying by ESPN.

"The amount of goals he scores, and what he does for the team, is incredible. Nobody is living up to that. At the moment, he's on another level to everyone else.

"Seeing him in training and in games gives me that kind of platform to aim for, and hopefully one day I can get there. If you don't want to be the world's best you probably shouldn't be playing football."

Bale, 25, has struck five goals from his eight La Liga outings so far this season.