Cristiano Ronaldo, Records and the Next Phase of His Evolution at Real Madrid

You might have thought you'd already seen it all from Cristiano Ronaldo. You might have thought there's no way he could surprise you anymore. You might have thought he'd achieved all he can at Real Madrid. You might have thought a romp to the record books was all that's left. You might have even thought he couldn't possibly get better. 

But you haven't.

It's not.

And he can. 

Real Madrid's thrashing of Elche on Tuesday stands as a point of importance on Ronaldo's timeline. The four goals were notable, yes, but it was how that was more significant than how many. 

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Not bombing down the wings, not leading explosive surges forward and not charging at defenders, Ronaldo reined in his game, stuck closer to the penalty area and played as the lethal, in-the-box No. 9 we'd long suspected he could be. 

"Playing as a striker? These are coaching decisions and we must respect them. The coach has made rotations and he wanted me to play as a striker," Ronaldo said after Tuesday's game when asked of his positioning, per Inside Spanish Football.

But this wasn't an out-of-the-blue occurrence. Ronaldo has been heading toward such a role since his repositioning to the head of the attack in Carlo Ancelotti's 4-4-2 against Sevilla in early August. 

All season we've been watching the next phase of Ronaldo's evolution. The four-goal burst against Elche is just the most obvious indication of that process.

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Part of it, of course, has been forced through injury. A lingering knee complaint plagued Ronaldo's summer, accelerating the need for his game to adapt to the demands of his body. Quietly, Ancelotti has clearly recognised such a necessity.

Throughout the opening to Real Madrid's season, the Italian has regularly tinkered with his formation, experimenting with ways to not only incorporate new stars such as James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos, but to also reduce the physical toll on Ronaldo. 

It's why Ancelotti was adamant that the 29-year-old didn't need to be rested when pressed on the matter prior to Tuesday's meeting with Elche. Through his tinkering of the system, by taking his biggest star away from the demands of the wing and utilising him closer to goal, the manager is affording Ronaldo a degree of rest while still playing him. 

"No, for now Ronaldo does not need a rest. He's in great shape, in good condition, mentally focused," Ancelotti said on Monday, per the Daily Mail. "We need him even more when he's on top form."

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Even more telling was the Italian's hint that Ronaldo has also made a conscious decision himself to operate around the box, insisting the Portuguese can determine his own positioning. 

"Where he plays is circumstantial. I think that Cristiano has to be given freedom to do what his instinct tells him on the pitch," Ancelotti added. 

For the remainder of 2014-15, it's likely that this evolutionary process will continue for the Ballon d'Or winner, benefitting both Ronaldo and Real Madrid's newer faces. 

Possessing a quintet of youthful bodies in Rodriguez, Kroos, Isco, Gareth Bale and the soon-to-return Jese, Ancelotti has a brigade capable of shouldering the burden carried for so long by Ronaldo. While there will be growing pains in that handover, it's the No. 7's lethal finishing that Real Madrid need most, the one quality they can't do without. 

At the back end of his physical peak, prolonging his brilliance in front of goal has become the priority. 

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What's striking is that Ronaldo's will to continually heighten his own excellence doesn't appear to be diminishing at all. If anything, it's getting stronger. 

"I'm improving, but I'm still not there yet. I want to keep this going. I'm still getting my rhythm, I'd like to run a bit more. I can always be fitter," he said after his four-goal performance on Tuesday. 

Thus, as he begins the next phase of his career, a gradual shift to possibly playing as a striker, an adapted No. 9, that incessant drive is what's most tantalising. 

Remember, this is a player who's notched 264 goals in 254 appearances at Real Madrid from the wing. A guy with 25 hat-tricks, three "pokers" (the Spanish term for a four-goal game) and 68 goals in the Champions League, 17 of which came in last season's campaign alone. 

All from a wide starting berth. 

He might not be able to replicate the barnstorming runs of his early 20s, but couldn't it be possible that with a gradual shift into the centre, his scoring rate might actually increase? Scary to consider, but it's possible, isn't it?

"When the right games come along, I have to rest and recover, but now isn't the right moment to do so. I want to keep getting better," he added after demolishing Elche. 

Much of that rest will come in the form of an adjusted role, when playing through this evolutionary phase. Enticingly, it's a phase that could also see Ronaldo get better.