Gareth Bale Reportedly Denies Cristiano Ronaldo Rift in Rafa Benitez Phone Call

In a bid to ensure two of his most prized assets get along as harmoniously as possible, Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez reportedly phoned Gareth Bale to address rumours of a rift with team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.

That's according to Spanish radio station Cadena SER, which claimed Bale informed his manager over the phone there is no animosity between the players and was encouraged by Benitez to tell his wing partner the same thing (h/t Sport).  

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

The fact Bale went so far as to receive therapy—as mentioned in the Daily Mail (h/t Sport)—in order to shrug off the pressures of the Bernabeu amid an allegedly heated dressing room goes some way to illustrating the Real atmosphere.    

The fans of a supposed rivalry were flamed recently when Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, told the Guardian's Stuart James just how the two personalities clashed, albeit in a sort of passive-aggressive manner:

"

They don’t go out eating every night together, but it’s fine. There’s no hatred there. Gareth is a quiet guy. They’re complete opposites. But I think Gareth can learn a little bit from Ronaldo as well, interacting maybe a little bit. But he wants his own life and he lives it.

Gareth is a great footballer, he doesn’t want anything more. He has some very good endorsements but his whole life is to be the best footballer in the world. I don’t think he wants to be the best model in the world or the best underwear seller. That’s not him.

"

There's of course no rule that states two superstars have to get along off the pitch in order to produce results on it, but as a manager, one would certainly think a chirpy dressing room makes for the best performances.

It's perhaps a blessing in disguise that £85 million signing Bale can't match £80 million Ronaldo in the ego stakes; there's no telling how sparks would fly if a player were actively seeking to steal the latter's limelight.

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

The pair are in utterly opposite stages of their Los Blancos careers. Ronaldo sits on the cusp of breaking Raul's all-time club record of 323 goals, while Bale is merely attempting to rediscover the kind of prominence that made him such an essential figure at Tottenham Hotspur.

According to Tomas Roncero of Spanish newspaper AS, Bale has been told his time to shine will come once Ronaldo's glory days have passed, per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan:

If true, that's hardly the kind of motivation any player would be seeking after becoming the most expensive player in the history of the sport—enough in itself to make any man feel like conquering the world.

Just as the holy trinity of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez were essential in bringing Barcelona a European and domestic treble last season, Bale and Ronaldo are equally important to helping Real achieve the same.

Having just one half of that duo in firing form is a wonderful thing, but the natural pressure of Benitez's job at the Real Madrid helm is that fans don't just expect wonderful—they expect nothing far short of perfect.

Sport is an unpredictable mistress in that the best players don't always make the best of friends and can therefore disappoint, but if what Bale is alleged to have told his boss holds true, there should be no excuse why Los Merengues can't achieve wonders once more.