Gareth Bale had only good words for his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luka Modrić who helped him to settle when he came to Real Madrid.

Talking for BT Sport, he said: “Since the first day Cristiano has been so good to me. He has given me advice on and off the pitch, with football matters and he’s given me advice where to live and stuff like that.”

“He is a great person, so helpful, always wants the best for the team and obviously people write things about him but people who actually know him know exactly what he is like and he’s a great man and a great footballer as well.”

“Luka Modrić and I played together for five years at Tottenham Hotspur and we actually got on really well there as well so having him here obviously was a massive plus for me.”

“When he came to Madrid he didn’t really know anybody so it was quite difficult for him in his first year but having him here this year has made me settle in so much quicker.”

“Just being able to go in to the group and knowing someone, hanging around with them rather than feeling I am stuck on my own so it’s been a great help on and off the pitch and obviously I’m thankful for that.”