Cristiano Ronaldo is currently undergoing one of his more underwhelming scoring stints at Real Madrid.

With just five goals in his last 11 games, the superstar is actually looking rather pedestrian in the white uniform. He has scored some big goals, including a winner over Las Palmas and an opener at Celta Vigo, but he simply lacks the dynamism that made him one of the top two players in the world.

His most recent effort against Paris Saint-Germain turned into more frustration for Madrid fans. He had one shot on target, no touches inside of the penalty area and was more or less neutralized. That last phrase, "more or less neutralized," is becoming common lexicon to use alongside the superstar who nowhere near leading Europe in goals is scored the way he did a year ago.

Put succinctly, Ronaldo is no longer the most dangerous attacker in the world.

He still makes terrific runs in the penalty area, opening up space for his cohorts, but the reality is that he has been missing at a rate worse than ever before in his career. Moreover, the superstar seems like he cannot handle having the ball at his feet any longer. There was a moment in the first half against PSG on Tuesday when he had a ton of real estate to run at with the ball on the right wing. There were times not too long ago when seeing that much space and Ronaldo with the ball was a thing to fear. There was a level of anticipation that something miraculous might just happen.

Back then (how long ago it seems), that usually resulted in a goal of some kind.

On Tuesday Ronaldo awkwardly did some stepovers and then conceded the ball, destroying a perfectly good attack.

He was pressuring more on Tuesday and there were times where he would track back to help the attack, pulling defenders like David Luiz or Thiago Silva with him. But with the lack of service, Ronaldo seemed like a non-entity for most of the game.

The reality comes down to two facts.

Ronaldo is not a center forward. Never has been. And from the looks of it, never will be. He is not the kind of player that can play with his back toward the goal. Hold up play is not the right mindset for a man who has trained himself to be the best at running at the goal. That is why having Karim Benzema around is so beneficial. The Frenchman is arguably among the best in the world at playing with his back to goal.

The second reason for Ronaldo's issues this year come down to one reality - age and its undeniable impact. His decline may be coming sooner than ever expected before. Maybe he is trying to hard, making a last ditch effort to score goals and win the Ballon d'Or. But the reality is that looking at Ronaldo's resume this season, it is hard to call him the best player in the world. He is not even in the top five and possibly not even in the top 10.

In other words, he may not be among the elite any longer. 

Lionel Messi, prior to his injury, was on top of the world. Neymar's recent play and higher scoring rate and consistency puts him above Ronaldo. Luis Suarez has scored more consistently than Ronaldo as well. Robert Lewandowski is a better finisher these days with a lot more goals as well. Alexis Sanchez is more dynamic in attack this season. Zlatan Ibrahimovic asserts more control over the game in a deeper role, even if the goals are down; yet who would question the fact that he outshone Ronaldo in Tuesday's game.

In essence, Ronaldo is no longer the best at any particular thing. 

Ronaldo is not even the most crucial or dynamic attacking player on his team. James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale would be the players that would immediately enter this conversation, but there is yet another young player who has outshone the Portuguese talisman.

Just watching Jese Rodriguez flourish over the last few weeks is a stark reminder of the kind of player that Ronaldo used to play. He certainly does not have the polish or skill level of Ronaldo, but Jese has speed to boot and is not afraid to run at defenders and beat them. Ronaldo cannot even do that, his skills currently limited to controlling the ball and firing it at goal from where he can. He also likes to one-touch it to other team mates, but even his passing skills have looked rather lacking in their precision. This is after all a man that had a whopping 22 assists a year ago. The expectations are thus heightened and Ronaldo, for whatever reason, is nowhere near meeting them.

It is thus ironic that the superstar recently came out to claim that he was the best in the world the moment where the performances and numbers simply do not reflect it. 

That said, Ronaldo has always thrived on solid offensive delivery, dating back to his days at Manchester United when he worked with Wayne Rooney. One must not overlook that Ronaldo has played most of this season without Rodriguez or Bale and that both players are among the greatest offensive threats in the game. Their mere presence commands the attention of defenders and thus gives Ronaldo greater space with which to roam. Without them, he is the main target of a team's defensive plan; when he is isolated at the top of the pitch, outnumbered by the centerbacks, it is easy to see why he is struggling the way he is.

Time will tell if Ronaldo's form has in fact plateaued or declined or if this is just a slump attributable to the lack of true support up top. As great as they are, Isco and Jese Rodriguez are not James Rodriguez or Bale at their best.