Euro 2016: It’s official, Gareth Bale is better than Cristiano Ronaldo and here’s why…

GARETH BALE is officially a better player than Cristiano Ronaldo... And we can prove it.

Ahead of Wales' crucial Euro 2016 semi-final showdown with Portugal on Wednesday night, SunSport has crunched the numbers to determine which Real Madrid ace will shine most brightly.

And while ex-Manchester United forward Ronaldo may be the reigning Ballon d'Or holder, it's his team-mate and former Tottenham man Bale who has racked up the more impressive numbers.

Let's break it down, starting with their goals record...

GOALS

OK, so surely there's no hope for Bale here; after all, Ronaldo was only outscored by Barcelona's Luis Suarez in the 2015-16 season.

The Portugal star, 31, netted a mind-boggling 51 goals last term, including 35 in La Liga and 16 in the Champions League - won by Real.

Bale, 26, on the other hand netted just 19 - all in the Spanish top flight.

However, looking at the Primera Division numbers, CR7 racked up a whopping 227 shot attempts, compared to Bale's comparatively meagre 81.

Work out the percentage and it turns out the Welshman has a FAR superior shot conversion rate at 23.6 per cent, compared to Ron's 15.4 per cent.

Then there's their Euro 2016 numbers, where Bale has netted three times from 21 shots at 18.5 per cent, while Ronaldo has converted just two of his 36 for a paltry 5.6 per cent.

BALE 1 RONALDO 0

ASSISTS

WE all know that football is more than just scoring goals though and in their position, assists are an equally crucial facet of their game.

Starting with La Liga once more and it's Bale who comes out top, having racked up 10 assists from his 23 games, compared to Ron's 11 from 26.

In fact, in all competitions over the past year for both club and country Bale has assisted 14 goals, to CR7's 16.

However, with Ronaldo playing significantly more minutes than his team-mate - at 5,342 compared to 3,722 - don't be fooled.

Bale's assist rate averages one per 265 minutes, while his Portuguese counterpart goes at one every 333 minutes.

BALE 2 RONALDO 0

PASSING

ONTO their teamwork on the ball, it's time to take a look at the passing numbers - and it's a close one.

In La Liga, Bale's accuracy was a respectable 79.9 per cent - while team-mate Ron falls agonisingly short once more at 79.4.

It's a similar tale in the Champions League too where the Welshman ousts his Portuguese colleague at 84 per cent to 83.5

But take a look at the international figures and Bale is miles behind at 69.3 per cent these Euros, compared to CR7's 86.6.

If you take a look at all competitions through the past year, Ronaldo edges out Bale 80.87 per cent to 78.07.

Game on...

BALE 2 RONALDO 1

DRIBBLING

OK, so both players love a mad dash up the pitch, taking on players with reckless abandon; but who does it better?

Whether it's age, style or team tactics, Ronaldo certainly doesn't seem to dribble as much as he used to.

Through these European Championships in France, he's attempted nine and completed just two.

As a direct comparison, Bale has gone on 34 runs, completed a staggering 20.

In La Liga, the Portugal forward attempted 110 in 36 matches - completing 51 of those - while Bale completed 43 of his 89 runs in just 23 games.

The numbers are similar in the Champions League too with Bale succeeding in 22 of his 47, compared to Ron's nine of 30.

So, Bale definitely has the edge on that one...

BALE 3 RONALDO 1

DEFENSE

WE'RE onto the final category and the Welshman has an unassailable lead - but let's trawl through the numbers anyway.

Starting off with the Euros and it's been a horror-show for Ronaldo at the back.

He's completed ZERO tackles and ZERO interceptions in 510 minutes of action for Portugal,

Bale meanwhile has racked up an impressing eight tackles and three interceptions in 443 minutes.

In La Liga, the Wales forward matched Ronaldo's 11 - but doing so in 13 fewer matches - while he made 20 interceptions compared to the Portuguese's stars eight.

So, the former left-back-turned-forward still has it on the defensive end, easily besting Ron...

BALE 4 RONALDO 1

VERDICT

WHILE we're not saying Bale is four times better than Ronaldo just because he trounced him 4-1 in the categories game, it's clear the Welshman is the better all-around player.

And five years his junior, there's still time for Bale to improve, while Ronaldo may be looking at the final few years of his career.

While one man doesn't make a team and it should be a hotly-contested showdown between Wales and Portugal on Wednesday night, perhaps keep your eyes more on Bale than Ron...