Portuguese skipper Cristiano Ronaldo has heaped praise on his Real Madrid teammate Gareth Bale.

Bale struggled with injury in the early part of his Madrid career, but has since scored nine times in 13 matches for the former Spanish champions.

"Gareth is doing an incredible job. He had a tough start, amongst other things because he suffered a small injury which ruled him out of several games," Ronaldo told reporters at a press conference.

"Plus, the pressure at Real Madrid is huge. But he's on the right track now and we're helping him."

Bale, who joined Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, netted a hat-trick in his side's 4-0 win over Real Valladolid at the end of last month.