There have been a lot of rumors about Cristiano Ronaldo becoming Real Madrid's permanent number nine striker.

For years the superstar has been deployed on the left wing, providing speed down the flank and also forcing opposing defenses to open up to cover his superlative skills.

With age he has become less mobile and thus forced to play in a more central role.

However, some have noticed his past failure in a center role for Portugal and wondered whether Ronaldo can truly become as lethal as he has ever been. More importantly, would he be okay with that role for his club?

Watching this weekend's Euro qualifiers showed that Ronaldo was not only ready for the task, but perfectly equipped for it.

The captain of Portugal scored a hat trick for the third consecutive game, and he did so playing up top.

More importantly, he did it with little to no support behind him. That is the key. Ronaldo won the qualifier for Portugal on his own without anyone else to help him out. At Real Madrid, he will not have to worry about that problem, something which should only benefit him.

More importantly, it will benefit Real Madrid.

With Ronaldo playing centrally, Los Blancos can finally move Gareth Bale to the left wing, his natural position. Bale, a natural lefty, would probably have to cross more from that wing over to Ronaldo, thus setting up the superstar for more goals as a poacher. That would bring out the best in Bale and obviously more goals for Ronaldo.

Moreover, he would not have to track back, thus allowing the Portuguese star to preserve his energy in the offensive third for offensive spurts and dribbles. While on the left, Ronaldo's lack of willingness to defend left his club weak on the back end. With Ronaldo as a forward, that would not be an issue any longer. Bale was once a defender and his being on the left would likely be an improvement for the club over Ronaldo in that department.