Cristiano Ronaldo: Ballon d'Or winner urges Real Madrid fans to 'be nice' to Gareth Bale after booing the Real Madrid forward

Bale has come in for criticism after choosing to go for goal instead of passing to Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo gestures after Gareth Bale goes for goal instead of passing to him (Getty Images)

Cristiano Ronaldo has urged Real Madrid fans to get behind "key player" Gareth Bale after the Wales international came under fire for going for goal instead of passing during Saturday's Primera Division win over Espanyol.

Bale was jeered by some Madrid supporters at the Bernabeu when, instead of laying up what could have been a tap-in for Ronaldo inside him, he opted to go for goal himself following a breakaway and ended up shooting wide.

That came a week after the world's most expensive player also received criticism for not passing to Karim Benzema when clean through during Madrid's 2-1 defeat to Valencia.

Ronaldo was visibly angry after Bale failed to pass to him, but the Portugal superstar insists that is already water under the bridge for him, while he also said the Madrid fans "should be nice" to the former Spurs winger.

Speaking to reporters at the Fifa Ballon d'Or, where he was voted the best player in the world for the second successive year, Ronaldo said: "Madrid fans are always the same, they are very intense, they show what they feel, they aren't liars.

"But I think the things with Gaz are normal because they know that Gaz is a very important player for us, a key player.

Gareth Bale has been defended by Cristiano Ronaldo (Getty Images)

"What happened on Saturday is in the past, sometimes I make mistakes too so it's part of the business, part of football. I think the people will be nice with him and they should be nice with him."

PA