Bale will shine once Ronaldo is out of the picture - Lineker

The Welshman has had to settle for a place in Ronaldo's shadow ever since joining Madrid from Tottenham in 2013, but Lineker has little doubt the 26-year-old will flourish in the not too distant future,

Real Madrid attackers Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale

Former England international Gary Lineker is confident Gareth Bale can become Real Madrid's main man once Cristiano Ronaldo is out of the picture.

The Welshman has had to settle for a place in Ronaldo's shadow ever since joining Madrid from Tottenham in 2013, but Lineker has little doubt the 26-year-old will flourish in the not too distant future,

"Bale's a wonderful talent. He's a great player, he's unbelievably talented," Lineker told AS. "He's always going to be in the shadow of Ronaldo while he’s there, because all players are. But he could be the player that steps up once Ronaldo’s powers begin to wane.

"I think he's amazing with Wales because he is the main man there and I think he revels in that, he enjoys it. He can't quite be that yet at Real Madrid because they've got a global superstar there who is pretty demanding and who will always be the key man.

"If Cristiano got injured for a spell of time it wouldn't surprise me at all if Gareth stepped up to be the star player. I think he's got that ability within him. It's just whether he's got the personal inner belief in his own ability. And I think he has.

"He’s more than capable of doing that. He’s a wonderfully talented player."

Bale has scored 14 goals in 16 La Liga matches this season ahead of Sunday's trip to Las Palmas.