5 players Real Madrid can’t afford to drop

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo

RC Deportivo La Coruna v Real Madrid CF - La Liga

Cristiano Ronaldo is ‘in crisis’, his critics claim. They point to figures that show he has scored only one league goal so far this season – his poorest return ever to this juncture of a Spanish top-flight campaign.

The 32-year-old is not, however, a spent force. Even the greatest forwards have fallow periods, and Ronaldo’s goal drought is simply emphasised by how prolific he has been in previous seasons.

Ahead of Las Palmas’ meeting with Madrid last weekend, Spain international winger Vitolo told Marca: "To say that about a player who has scored the number of goals Cristiano Ronaldo has is a joke. He is a great player and we know what he is capable of, he can score at any moment.”

Indeed, having found the net at least 25 times in La Liga in each of his previous eight seasons with Los Blancos only serves to remind fans that at some point he is bound to explode into life again.

Certainly, that is the opinion of team-mate Casemiro, who told the club’s official website recently: “What stands out for me are the chances that Cristiano has created and the desire to score that he always has. He'll score a lot of goals in the coming games. It doesn't worry me.”

Even if he is not at his best currently, leaving out a player with such scoring potential – he averages, outrageously, more than one goal per league appearance in Spain – is simply unthinkable.