Gareth Bale Admits Being Close to '100%' After Scoring a Brace in Win Over Deportivo

Real Madrid star Gareth Bale has claimed that he is "almost" back to his best following Los Blancos' 7-1 win over Deportivo La Coruña on Sunday.

The Welshman scored a brace to help Real Madrid come from behind against Cristóbal Parralo's relegation-threatened side, with the impressive result helping relieve some pressure off of Zinedine Zidane's shoulders.

Bale missed a number of months of football earlier this season, through injury and the former Tottenham winger has made just nine La Liga appearances this season. 

However, after notching his second brace in two weeks, the 28-year-old was asked if he was happy to hear fans singing his name again after months of dissatisfaction at the Santiago Bernabéu.

"Yeah, [cheers] instead of whistles, which is always good," Bale told ESPN FC. "It would have been nice to have stayed on to get the hat trick, but the most important thing is always to get the victory and to try and get some confidence back in the team.

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"I think I can be important but at the end of the day you have to prove it," the Welsh international continued.

"I feel like I have been doing that of late. And I have been working hard to stay fit. I have to keep playing the best I can. I'm almost there I think. It's been a while since my ankle operation and I felt 100 percent.

"It's only been very recently that I have been without pain in my ankle, so I am getting there game by game. I keep working game by game and hopefully, I'll be there very soon."