JAMIE REDKNAPP: Humble Bale is heir to Ronaldo's throne as the best in the world

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the two best players in world football, but Gareth Bale is the heir to the throne. There is no doubt he can be the best player on the planet in five years’ time.

What Bale has achieved in his first  season at Real Madrid is nothing short of sensational. To go to a new club, a new country and an entirely new culture and perform as he has done is remarkable.

He was not at his best on Saturday night but big players change games and that’s exactly what he’s done. He scored a wonder goal to win the Copa del Rey last month and made the crucial  breakthrough in extra time in the  Champions League.

The heir: Real Madrid star Gareth Bale will become the best player in the world in five years' time

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He wasted some good chances in  Lisbon but if you want an indicator of the impact he had, just look at Filipe Luis. The Atletico Madrid left back has been excellent but he won’t have run as hard all season.

By the end of the game he was on the floor with cramp. That’s what happens when you spend your evening chasing Gareth Bale’s shadow.

Explosive pace has always been Bale’s primary weapon, but now he is the  complete player. His raw speed makes him so hard to defend against but it’s his technique at high speed that now sets him apart.

BALE vs RONALDO: TALE OF THE TAPE

GARETH BALE		CRISTIANO RONALDO
24	Age	29
Cardiff, Wales	Born	Funchal, Madeira
6ft 0in	Height	6ft 1in
11	Shirt Number	7
Southampton, Tottenham	Previous clubs	Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United
292	Career club appearances	569
82	Career goals	375
44	International Caps	110
12	International Goals	49
£86m (2013)	Transfer fee	£80m (2009)
£35m	Worth	c. £120m
Adidas, EA Sports, Lucozade	Endorsements	Nike, Coca-Cola, Emirates, Castrol, Konami, Emporio Armani, KFC, Tag Heuer, Banco Espirito Santo, Motorola, Herbal Life, Jacob & Co.
Emma Rhys-Jones, childhood sweetheart	WAG	Irina Shayk, Russian model
One daughter, Alba Violet b. 2012	Kids	One son, Cristiano b. 2010

Match winner: Bale is now the complete power, with excellent technique along with explosive pace

Chasing shadows: Filipe Luis is an excellent defender but he was run ragged by the Welshman

He can play anywhere across the front, score with his left or right foot and with his head. He has a fantastic leap and he showed it by being in the right place at the right time to score against Atletico.

The frightening thing is he is still learning the game. Playing alongside and studying Ronaldo, he can only get better.

Bale is so strong in the air but imagine if he attacked crosses with the same aggression as  Ronaldo — he could be impossible to stop.

I remember seeing him play in the Southampton youth team when I was at the club. Most of the talk then was about a young Theo Walcott, but there was also a dark-haired kid who was a pretty handy left back.

Passive: Bale is good in the air but he needs to be more aggressive when he attacks the ball

Flourished: Bale has come a long way since his time as a left back for Southampton

He was very shy but once he came out of his shell it did not take long to realise you were in the presence of somebody special.

It was the same at Tottenham when he started to play further forward and was  shredding defences for fun. That shy young left back has transformed into quite a man.

Bale now has the world at his feet but he remains that rarest of things: a humble superstar. I’m sure if he wanted to whip his shirt off and celebrate Ronaldo-style he’d look just as good, but that’s not how he is.

He is just a lovely kid and is the exception to those who say you need a mean streak to succeed in football.

When you watch him play, you can still see the wonder in his eyes as if he’s thinking: ‘Blimey, I’m playing for Real Madrid.’ That is every football fan’s dream but he’s not just playing for Madrid, he’s starring for them.

Humble superstar: Bale has now been instrumental in Real Madrid winning two trophies in his debut season

When he made the move last summer, I was full of admiration. Playing for a club like Real is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it takes a lot of courage to move abroad and plenty have failed in the past. Bale’s debut season has been like a fairytale.

Ronaldo was 24 when he moved to Madrid and he scored 33 goals in his opening season, 11 more than Bale. But there is one big difference between the two:  Ronaldo won nothing whereas Bale has two trophies to his name. Expectations at Real Madrid are always sky-high, but that is some way to announce yourself.

It’s just a shame we are unlikely to see Bale play at his peak in a World Cup because, make no  mistake, he has everything needed to become the best player in the world.