Real Madrid star Gareth Bale has named former Wales teammate Ryan Giggs as the best player he has ever played with.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the player routinely named as the greatest ever by players and senior figures at Real Madrid -- including teammates like Alvaro Morata and coach Zinedine Zidane, while former boss Rafael Benitez eventually paid with his job after problems with their relationship -- but Bale has broken the convention..
Bale departed from the script when taking part in a sponsors' Q&A, as reported by Marca.
"For me the greatest player is Ryan Giggs," Bale said. "He was my hero growing up and is a legend in world football. It also helps he's a fellow Welshman."
Spanish pundits believe that Bale is seen by the Bernabeu hierarchy as Ronaldo's long term replacement as the team's talisman, and any signs of tension between the pair are usually played up in the local press.
Both stars are on the 23-man shortlist for the 2016 Ballon d'Or award, and the former Tottenham player has also more than once stopped short of fully endorsing his teammate as the favourite to win the prize again -- including when signing his own new long-term contract recently.
"Being nominated for the Ballon d'Or is a great honour for me," Bale added. "It is recognition of the hard work and dedication that I have put in all these years.
"Now I just have to keep working hard and improving. My focus is to win as many trophies as I can with my teams, both Wales and Real Madrid, and the individual prizes will come later."