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Gareth Bale has told The Times he has "never had a problem" with Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and says he is enjoying working under coach Zinedine Zidane. Bale, 26, joined Madrid from Tottenham in 2013 in a deal that, according to leaked documents, totalled €100.7 million, exceeding the world-record €96m fee the club paid Manchester United for Ronaldo in 2009. The deal was reported to have upset Ronaldo amid suggestions the Wales international had been signed as his future replacement, and the Portugal star has in the past appeared to show frustration with his fellow forward on the field. However, Bale has stressed that there are no issues with the 31-year-old. "He speaks English, which helped me when I first came here," he said. "We also have that link from the Premier League. We get on really well. The press make a lot of things that maybe we don't but we get on fine. "We've never had a problem. I've never had an argument with him. He's a very, very passionate person on the pitch -- everyone knows that. He's very determined. People sometimes seem to take that the wrong way. We haven't had a problem." He added: "You definitely have to have teamwork. No one can ever do anything on their own. But you need a little bit of selfishness because that's what you need as a front man. "We've found a good balance. We're doing well, scoring a lot of goals, and hopefully we can peak now towards the end of the season and get some trophies." He said Ronaldo "gives everything" on the pitch, adding: "Whoever scores the goals we're happy. We just want to win trophies." Bale was handed a central role during Rafa Benitez's brief reign at the start of this season but has been used out wide since Zidane took charge in January. Bale had been a prominent supporter of Benitez, with reports suggesting he was considering his future after the Spaniard was sacked, and the forward has underlined his appreciation for the former Liverpool and Chelsea boss. "I spoke to Benitez about the position I'd like to play because the previous year I didn't feel I was getting the ball as much," he said. "I felt isolated out on the wing and I wasn't able to do what I wanted to do and give my best for the club. "He listened to me, and gave me more responsibility which was what I wanted. I had a good relationship with him. He speaks very good English which helps me. I was able to speak to him a lot. We had things in common from working in England. I just enjoyed working with him." Even so, Bale said he is enjoying playing under Zidane, who had served as Carlo Ancelotti's assistant during his debut season at the Bernabeu, when the club won the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. "He won the Champions League as a player and he knew how much it meant to the club then," Bale said of the Frenchman, whose goal won Real the 2002 final against Bayer Leverkusen. "He was the actual coach when we won it in 2014. He knows the club more than anyone. He never left the club when he retired from playing." He added: "He's quiet. Even as a player, he always let his football do the talking. That just shows what a man he is. Because he was such a good player we knew he'd make a good manager. "He's just got that aura, that respect because he was such a good player. Everyone respects him so much. We believe everything he says. We trust everything he tells us to do on the pitch. He trusts us to do it and it's shown in our performances. "You have one or two bad performances -- every team does -- like the Wolfsburg game [a 2-0 quarterfinal loss in the first leg at the Volkswagen Arena] but to come back and win 3-0 at home shows how he motivates us. Everyone listened to every single word he said to us. We just want to do well for him."
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