Is Cristiano Ronaldo past it?

The question must be asked: Did Ronaldo’s breakup with Irina Shayk lead to his downfall? It’s evident that since their dubious uncoupling, the winger/forward has been in a terrible slump. Everyone knows the old cliche -- happy wife, happy life. What about no wife/girlfriend then? Obviously it looks to lead to a string of awful performances.

More than that, Ronaldo started off this season in blistering form but has since regressed. He’s now let Lionel Messi catch up to him in goals in every competition. How can he be the best player in the world if there’s another who has matched him? It’s logically impossible. There can’t be two number ones.

Some may say that his early form would have been impossible to maintain. That his drought and recent bad form were always coming, that he’s only human and is susceptible to the same fatigue as everyone else. The question then becomes, is he not training hard enough anymore? A younger Ronaldo would have pushed through such bad times; it seems that in his old age the superstar seems to think he’s too good for hard work.

Ronaldo has reacted to the criticism of his bad form and Champions League second-leg loss to Schalke by stating that he will no longer speak to the media -- at least until the end of the season. It seems that he’s afraid to face the tide of detractors that he and Real Madrid have brought on themselves. Reasonable people can infer that he wants to perform in peace without the constant noise of dissent and shouts of crises after every bad performance, but it sure does look cowardly.

After the Schalke loss, Iker Casillas had to yell at Ronaldo to return and acknowledge the fans as he tried to make his way to the tunnel. The superstar stood there clearly angry and perplexed at what had just taken place. Could he have done more for his team? Sure, he was able to score twice and rescue the team from what would have been an embarrassing elimination at the hands of an opponent that they should have easily dispatched.

But could he have done more? Why was he unable to score a hat trick? A real leader would have grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. The spotlight was firmly on Ronaldo and all he managed was two goals to save his team and a few tackles as he tried to ignite his teammates. Less than expected from the world’s best player.

There are some who are arguing that the Real Madrid crisis is not Ronaldo’s fault. These people are stating that it would be unreasonable to expect a team that has suffered devastating injuries at pivotal positions to continue in the same fashion as before. Luka Modric being out for an extended amount of time, along with James Rodriguez and Sergio Ramos, could only mean bad things for any team. It’s left Isco as the sole creator in midfield while having to track back and maintain balance as well. Toni Kroos isn’t known for his dribbling and Sami Khedira isn’t fooling anyone with his passing.

That type of logic is only working to distract from the blatant truth: Ronaldo is definitely past it. Not only has his form been awful, but he’s also had a hand in the destruction of one Gareth Bale. In order to feed his ego, Bale has resorted to playing a reserved game. There have been countless times that Bale was open for a shot but instead chose (or rather, was forced) to pass it to Ronaldo, lest he upset the king of the team.

It could also be because that Bale is just another victim of the unforgiving Bernabeu faithful. Different players have different temperaments. Where having over 60,000 fans booing one player could work to ignite his inner conqueror and push him to work harder, it could also completely destroy the confidence of another. The reasoning that this is routine enough that even Real Madrid legends have experienced it seems to just be a justification for a disgusting level of entitlement. A way for the fans to push the blame away from themselves.

But it could also be because Ronaldo’s ego is big enough that it’s tearing the team apart. What was once the BBC is now just BB trying to feed C. His legendary petulance was enough to exile Angel Di Maria to the unforgiving lands of Manchester, and there were many more before him. The team is built around the Portuguese, who has become less of a winger who can dribble and penetrate defenses and more of a Pippo Inzaghi-type forward who is just there for the glory.

Having just played through knee troubles in the World Cup, it was a surprise that he started the season off so hot. But now that he’s managed to inflate the expectations of the audience, he has only himself to blame for being a bit less prolific as he was before. Sure, he may still be on track to have an outrageous season by the standards of any other player, but is he short-changing himself? Are his best years behind him? No player should be expected to be in peak form for as many years as Ronaldo has been, but it does speak to his failing image that he won’t even try.

It’s a shame, really. He used to be so good.