Do Real Madrid really need Cristiano? For the first time the answer might be no.

“If he was anybody else Cristiano would’ve been substituted by now,” was the cry from a group of Real Madrid fans as their side faced off against Granada at the weekend. The iconic winger turned inside forward looked a shell of his former self against the side from Andalucia, offering nothing in the final third and losing possession countless times. These are the teams he usually flourishes against. The worrying trend is that this wasn’t the first time Cristiano has gone missing this season and fans are slowly opening up to the reality he is no longer an ‘untouchable’. So what has changed for Real Madrid’s record goalscorer?

As a youngster playing for Sporting Clube de Portugal – not Sporting Lisbon, as we all call them – he was lauded as a phenomenal talent but one who kept his feet well and truly on the ground. Coaches were talking about a special talent to emerge from the academy but he wasn’t interested in the fame back then and was happy to play on the Playstation and hang out with his friends. He was happy and that came through every time he graced the pitch, be in a match or training. He felt wanted.

Throughout the years the transformation of Cristiano from fancy winger to global superstar has been a joy to watch. Yet if you go back, look at any of those clips when he achieved something special, there’s always a smile plastered across his face. Whether it was for Sporting, Manchester United, Portugal or Real Madrid he appeared to be the happiest man in the world. Even when he winked at his then teammate Wayne Rooney after encouraging the official to send him off, there was that wry smile.

Back in 2012, coincidentally after a match against Granada, he famously told the Spanish media he was “triste” - ‘sad’ in Spanish. Questions had been raised about his fitness after he failed to score in the opening two matches, including an away loss to Getafe. He scored two against Granada but refused to celebrate them in the way we’re used to. “I’m sad about a professional matter and the club know. For that I didn’t celebrate my goals because I’m not happy. The people here know why.”

Speculation was rife as to what had caused this sudden bout of sadness. Did Cristiano want to leave Real Madrid or was he simply after a better contract? Well, he signed a new deal a year later so that might have had something to do with it, but as much as money is important in the realm of the superstar it’s also not the be all and end all. The real reason for Cristiano’s unhappiness was due to him feeling undervalued by both his teammates and fans alike.

Real Madrid had finally won La Liga again in 2011/12 and Cristiano had played a key part in that, scoring 46 goals in the league alone and 60 in all competitions. They broke the record for highest points total (100), most goals scored (121) and most victories in a season (32) as well as many other accolades. He felt he deserved the Ballon d’Or that year but felt betrayed when some of his teammates mentioned Iker Casillas as a worthy winner after his exploits with Spain in Euro 2012.

He needed universal backing to topple Lionel Messi, who had scored a record-breaking 85 goals in a calendar year and won the Copa del Rey, the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, and the Spanish Super Cup but didn’t get it. He even missed out on the 2012 UEFA Best Player in Europe award with Andres Iniesta being chosen ahead of both he and Messi. Sergio Ramos tweeted, “You deserve it as both a footballer and a person.” That didn’t go down too well.

The desire to be the very best is what drives Cristiano on and if he doesn’t feel as if he’s the best player at his own club, sadness creeps in. It’s as admirable as it is childish, but the man is like that. He’s competitive to the bone and doesn’t abide by the ‘it’s the taking part which counts’ mantra so many parents attempt to instil in their kids at a young age. Cristiano wants to win everything and remain king of the kill - anything else is failure. Right now, he doesn’t feel like he’s the best – and he isn’t – but he can’t seem to stop the rot.

“I’ll stay here for two more years and then we’ll see,” is what he said at yesterday’s Pichichi Awards. That hardly sounds like a ringing endorsement either. Individual awards haven’t been hard to come by for Cristiano but without them, criticism will surely follow. Nowadays he can meet his detractors with a host of records showing him to score countless goals, doing his job, while the team itself underperforms. It’s his cloak of armour. If it wasn’t for Espanyol, that cloak might be looking a little ragged about now.

Earlier this season, before he was struck down with yet another injury, you felt like Gareth Bale was finally beginning to muscle in on his stage. It started with Rafa Benitez allowing the Welshman free reign behind Karim Benzema, occupying the areas that Cristiano has exploited so well over the years. He felt this decision hadn’t necessarily come from just Benitez but from those higher up at the club, ones trying to move it into a post-Cristiano dependent area.

When Bale picked up his latest injury it allowed Cristiano to run the show again, be the main man, the showstopper, the main event. Sorry, when all Shawn Michaels on you there. When the team struggled to break down a Real Betis outfit that couldn’t buy a victory at home before this weekend, Marcelo, a close ally of Ronaldo’s, said they didn’t miss Bale. “It’d be unfair to say we missed Bale when you look at the squad we have.” Do you think he would have said the same thing if it was his buddy Cristiano who was the one on the sidelines?

And even with the stage to himself Cristiano has been incapable of picking up the ball. We saw glimpses of the Portugese’s best against Espanyol, who he scored five against earlier on in the season, but he was drab in the draw with Betis and even worse against Granada. People will point out that he’s scored three in three, so where’s the issue? The issue is he failed to score in the most difficult games, away from home, while adding the icing to the cake in the easy one.

For example, Cristiano’s 19 goals in 23 matches is a very, very respectable feat. Yet he’s only scored in 10 of those 23 matches and, as previously mentioned, 8 alone came against Espanyol. He’s lost his smile again and despite turning up and putting on a show when attending an event in honour of his goalscoring achievements, it’s hard to see a future for him at Real Madrid beyond this summer.

When you look at it objectively, it feels like the perfect time for both parties to go their separate ways. Real Madrid are facing a transfer ban which would mean this summer is their last realistic chance to sell Cristiano for a decent sum. He’s on the decline and recently turned 31, so probably looking for one last bumper contract before retiring in the USA or Qatar. Madrid aren’t going to offer him a new one plus his influence on the side is slipping and, with respect to the man himself, it’d be of benefit to the side not to rely so heavily on one person. It takes its toll as I’m sure Ronaldo would admit.

It’d be good for the player, too. Ever since he arrived on these shores he has faced a constant comparisons battle with Messi. In part, a lot of his fantastic achievements were lost in the fans’ point-scoring battles. Nothing can ever be considered great because the other did it first, better or more times. I actually believe most football fans undervalue Cristiano and his accomplishments. A new league with a new challenge could reinvigorate him. Wherever he goes, there’s no question he’d be the main man there. The side would be built around him, to play to his strengths and he’d love it. He’d smile again.

As for potential destinations, his options are quite limited. One key point to remember is Peter Lim – yes, the Valencia owner – bought his image rights in Asia. The best market to see a return on that investment would be if he joined a Premier League side. A swansong with Manchester United might be complicated by the rumoured appointment of Jose Mourinho there. That’d leave just Chelsea, who could do with a major signing after a very poor campaign.

Elsewhere you’d have to figure Paris Saint Germain into the equation. With Financial Fair Play restrictions being lifted this summer and the depature of their current talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, you just know they’ll be in the market for a superstar. He shares a good friendship with Laurent Blanc, too.

Of course there exists the possibility he will stay at Real Madrid but happily take a secondary role over the next couple of seasons but can you see Cristiano doing that? It appears more and more likely his future lies away from the Spanish capital and whilst the money on offer will be great, he’ll look for the place where he can be happiest first and foremost. Right now, he’s ‘triste’ again.