Bale or Ronaldo? There’s only one clear winner according to our poll
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Between them they bagged 54 goals last season and led Real Madrid to their 11th European Cup.
But tonight, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo come up against each other for their respective countries for the first time ever as Wales and Portugal meet in the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
Both have played vital roles for their teams’ progression to the semis, with each player involved in four goals so far.
And with Bale and Ronaldo considered amongst the greatest players in world football, we asked our followers who they’d rather have in their team.
Incredibly, in what we expected to be our closest poll to date, the runaway winner with 64 per cent of the vote was Gareth Bale.
Who would you prefer on your team? #WALPOR #Euro2016
— Ladbrokes (@Ladbrokes) 6 July 2016
There’s an argument that Walesmania has taken over the social media world in recent weeks as England fans continue to jump onto the Welsh bandwagon, and perhaps Ronaldo’s attitude towards the lesser teams in this tournament hasn’t gone unnoticed by our voters.
But can we write off the three-time Ballon d’Or winner so easily?
In his first three years at the Bernabeu, Bale has bagged 47 goals and provided 33 assists. In contrast, Ronaldo’s first three seasons consisted of 112 goals and 35 assists. So why has Bale won this poll so comfortably?
There’s a constant feeling that any team in which Ronaldo is representing is relying on him to pull the rest of the players over the finishing line.
Yet his handling of this pressure, certainly on an international stage, has often been brought into question.
Bale, on the other hand, seems to thrive under such pressure, and while Ronaldo often cuts a lonely figure, his teammate seems to gel with pretty much anyone he plays alongside.
Long story short, maybe everybody just loves Gareth Bale, the new sweetheart of British sport.
Short odds of 4/1 for him to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year certainly supports that claim.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
