Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno has defended Gareth Bale after the forward was booed by some of the club's supporters during Saturday's 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad.
Bale, 25, has come under fire from Madrid fans in recent weeks, and that continued after he failed to convert two relatively simple chances at the weekend.
The Wales international did, however, create the European champions' third goal for Karim Benzema, and Butragueno said he remained vital to the team despite a mixed performance.
"Bale had a real presence in the game and in the way the team played," Butragueno was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.
"He could have scored several goals. Sometimes he gets it right, sometimes not, but the importance is that he is creating the chances and is very involved."
Bale had 10 shots during the La Liga clash -- almost triple his average 3.88 per game this season, according to AS. Of those, two were on target while three were blocked and five were off target.
In comparison, Benzema managed five but still scored two goals.
Bale has now had 105 shots all season, with 43 on target -- a 41 percent accuracy rate -- 39 off target (37 percent), and 23 being blocked (22 percent).
However, the former Tottenham player's statistics for the season as a whole are impressive. He has been actively involved in 22 of Madrid's goals, scoring 14 and providing eight assists.
Information from AS.com was used in this report