Cristiano Ronaldo has temporarily lost his touch - which is good news for Messi

When Cristiano Ronaldo thundered an early shot against the bar in Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna you assumed he was in the right frame of mind to deliver the perfect riposte to criticism of his ill-timed birthday party last weekend.

However, when he subsequently missed from about a yard out in the build-up to Isco’s goal, you wondered if something more malign was taking place.

And when the final whistle blew at the Bernabeu, it marked as many as three games without a goal for the Ballon d’Or winner – the first time he has been subjected to such an indignity for over a year.

Has his break up with former girlfriend Irina Shayk hit him hard, or is he mentally not quite there at the moment? Such speculation is rife.

Back in January it seemed almost certain that Ronaldo would rob Lionel Messi of his record of 50 goals in a Liga season, but three games on his ratio has now dropped to 28 goals after 23 games of the season (although he has played in just 20).

Expanded out across the season that ratio works out at 46 goals, meaning Ronaldo now has ground to make up if he is to surpass his great rival’s famous mark.

Ronaldo’s purple patch has come to an end, and he needs to rediscover his form quickly if he wants to attain immortality this season. This could be a massive few weeks for the world's best player.

Original post by Pitchside (Yahoo Eurosport)