Cristiano Ronaldo 'Choices' Reportedly Questioned by Real Madrid Team-Mates

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid team-mates are reportedly beginning to call some of his decisions into question, as the Portuguese continues to find consistency hard to come by.

Ronaldo was on the periphery of the game once again as Los Blancos drew 1-1 with city rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday. According to Jose Felix Diaz of Marca, there's growing belief inside the dressing room that Gareth Bale should be at the nexus of this Real side:

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There has been surprise at Gareth Bale's low profile. Injury issues aside, the Welshman was again consigned to a supporting role for a key match on the Real calendar.

He was on the bench but the expectation was that the team would jump to Bale's tune once he went on. The Welsh player was once more shunted out wide, however, leaving central billing to CR7 and his partner, Karim Benzema—at least before the Frenchman's controversial substitution.

For better or worse, Ronaldo remains the hub of the team. Yet some of the Portuguese player's teammates have noticeably called some of his choices into question lately. No one doubts the former United star's ability, but some no longer believe he can go the extra mile.

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It’s not been the best of seasons for Ronaldo by his own impeccable standards. He has equalled Raul’s Real Madrid goalscoring record, notched his 501st career strike and dazzled in certain games—most notably when he scored five against Espanyol—but they have been isolated highlights.

As we can see here courtesy of OptaJose, at the moment, the 30-year-old is enduring one of the worst goalscoring droughts he has had since joining the La Liga giants:

Manager Rafael Benitez had looked set to hand Bale a more significant role in the Madrid side, starting the Welshman in a central position early on in the season before he picked up an injury. It was a role in which the former Tottenham man was thriving and without his penetrating runs from deep, Real have not looked quite the same side.

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Typically, Bale is a player who has stepped up for Madrid in big matches in the past too. As noted by Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, of late Ronaldo hasn’t been:

In fairness to the Portuguese, he’s a player who is becoming increasingly reliant on the service he receives. When he arrived at Real Madrid from Manchester United, Ronaldo was a player who would go looking for the ball, floating into different positions, taking on defenders and pulling out a plethora of skills. But he’s a different player these days.

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Indeed, Ronaldo is now the man who finishes moves off, not the player who gets Madrid going. That’s no criticism of the former Red Devils star; he’s adapted his game to still be a force despite getting older. That will ensure he remains a decisive influence in matches for years to come.

At the moment, he seems to be trying a little too hard, though, as is evident by this statistic from ESPN Stats & Info (h/t ESPN FC):

It’ll be engrossing to watch on from afar how this potential shift in dynamic works. After all, Ronaldo is a player who craves the responsibility of scoring goals and pushing this team on to victory. But you suspect he’s going to have to relinquish some of that burden in the months and years to come.

Still, there’s no denying Ronaldo remains one of the very best finishers in world football and the ruthless edge he has in front of goal will be back again soon. He may not be the same daring wide forward who had supporters on the edge of their seats, but if Los Blancos can find a way to utilise his strengths, the Portuguese remains one of the most dangerous players around.