Cristiano Ronaldo Must Dominate to Erase Real Madrid's Champions League Woes

Real Madrid are in the midst of a Champions League drought, and star forward Cristiano Ronaldo is the only man capable of getting them out of that rut by potentially taking over to win the 2013-14 campaign.

Ronaldo's Madrid squad opens up group play on Tuesday against Galatasaray in a Group B matchup that will give Los Blancos a tough test early on in the tournament.

The 28-year-old is enjoying the spotlight after signing a freshly inked contract that might make him the world's highest-paid player, per The Guardian's Sid Lowe. 

In a group that features Juventus and FC Copenhagen along with Galatasaray, Real Madrid should have no real problem advancing out of the group stage. But if their aspirations are much higher than that, it will require the star forward from Portugal to play at his very best.

This much won't be required of Ronaldo for his squad to reach the pinnacle of success in the future, but as of right now, manager Carlo Ancelotti needs his premier attacker to come up big. 

While Madrid's future is loaded with lofty expectations for Gareth Bale, it's set to be a transition process and he likely won't even start against Galatasaray, per The Guardian's Dominic Fifield. 

Los Blancos aren't going to throw Bale into the fire, although he will get a lion's share of playing time. In truth, it's very likely that he's going through his fair share of adjusting and transitioning as he attempts to get used to life at his new club

Just as well, Madrid's offensive attack is hurting with the loss of Mesut Ozil to Arsenal—a move that stripped Ancelotti's club of one of their most creative passers and offensive masterminds. 

Although, no matter what's going on around Ronaldo or which players won't be surrounding him, Madrid always need him to step up to the task because of how often he possesses the ball. 

Ronaldo is a goal-scoring machine for Madrid. Attending a Real Madrid match and not seeing the 28-year-old notch a netter is nearly worth asking for your money back. 

While Madrid have surrounded Ronaldo with so many world-class players and big names, their fearless leader remains as that ultra-valuable force with a killer instinct that you can rely on to net a goal at any given moment. 

And if the last few seasons of the Champions League are any indication, having that killer instinct is crucial.

Real Madrid's Champions League success is well documented—their nine titles are the most of all time—but they're in the midst of an 11-year drought with their last championship coming in 2002. 

Ronaldo has suffered very few bad moments while at the Santiago Bernabeu, but lack of Champions League success under Jose Mourinho was one of those sore subjects.

However, with a new regime and a new star player beside him, it's a brighter day for the Spanish giants.

The Portugal star must look around him, see the promise of this year's Champions League campaign, and then realize that no player on the pitch is capable of completely containing him.

If he does that all tournament, expect a certain club to end a certain drought come 2014.