A few weeks ago, there was an altercation on the pitch between two Real Madrid superstars.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the team's talisman and star goalscorer, bemoaned an opportunity by teammate Gareth Bale to score a goal despite having a passing lane to giving Ronaldo an easy tap-in goal.

While the two stated that there was no rivalry or ill-will between them, the moment was rather indicative of something on everyone's minds -- will Bale eventually surpass Ronaldo as the team's top star and how will the aging Portuguese star deal with it?

The situation became ever more real this past weekend when Ronaldo made an immature decision, slapping Edimar and being subsequently sent off for the match. With Real Madrid in peril of dropping points, Bale was called upon to be the hero and he did just that with a 90th-minute penalty goal to seal the deal and give Madrid a 2-1 win.

That victory was significant for another reason. It was yet another game in which Bale engaged in heroics with his team lacking any from its top star. There have been a number of instances in which Bale has done just that and the question beckons -- is Bale better for Real Madrid without Ronaldo?

Just remember what happened in the Copa del Rey final last Spring. Ronaldo was off the pitch injured. Madrid was facing its most hated rival in a testy affair. And out of nowhere, Bale made a run down the left wing, around defender Marc Bartra who tried to push him off the pitch, and he simply powered into the penalty area and scored the game winner. An outstanding goal that few have ever scored because it required a combination of strength, unstoppable speed and tremendous technical precision. It was not only huge winner, but a goal of legend. And it happened with Bale as the main man.

In the Champions League final, Ronaldo was on the pitch but he was as invisible as he would have been on the bench. Bale admittedly did not have a game of legends, but when push came to shove, he put up the goal of legends as he pounced on a rebound in extra time to win it for Los Blancos.

And in this fall's Club World Cup, it was Bale, not Ronaldo, who scored the goal to give Los Blancos a comfortable 2-0 lead.

And those are just a few of many other examples. When Ronaldo was sidelined with a muscle strain for the Nov. 30, 2013 game against Real Valladolid, Bale put up his first hat trick for the team while adding an assist. On Feb. 16, 2013, Real Madrid met with Getafe and Ronaldo was not on the pitch yet again. Bale did not score, but provided an assist in a 3-0 win. And in the ensuing 3-0 win over Elche, Bale scored while taking five shots on goal; Ronaldo did not play that game either. And on April 5, Ronaldo also missed the team's 5-0 win over Real Sociedad; Bale scored one goal in that match. The same happened in an April 12 showdown with Almeria; Ronaldo was off and Bale scored a goal and had seven shots throughout the game.

Admittedly, those are not jaw-dropping statistics and the facts show that these two play extremely well together. But there is no denying that without Ronaldo, Bale becomes the main man and that he takes on that responsibility admirably. He has played the hero so many times for his team when necessary that it is not difficult to contemplate just how good he can be if he is given the reins full time.

He will have the reins for the next few weeks, possibly three depending on Ronaldo's ban (though a recent rumor has Ronaldo banned for 12 weeks). And he will be called on to be the hero with difficult ties against Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid looming large in the Spanish League. Madrid lost against Real Sociedad earlier this year, with Ronaldo absent from the game due to injury (Bale consequently had a goal in that game) and has struggled against Atletico Madrid all year long.

Big games from Bale would further cement his legacy at Madrid and continue the lingering question about whether he might in fact be better without the man he calls his idol.