Former Real Madrid sporting director Jorge Valdano says Cristiano Ronaldo is currently "playing under protest" for the club and is not comfortable with the role Rafa Benitez has asked him to play.
Ronaldo, 30, has scored 13 goals in 18 games for club and country so far this season, but eight of those came in the space of four days in September, when he netted five against Espanyol and then a hat trick against Shakhtar Donetsk.
He has scored eight domestic goals so far, which represents his worst tally at this stage of the season since 2010, and compares unfavourably with the 18 he had scored at this stage last season during Carlo Ancelotti's reign.
The Portugal captain also failed to score in either of the two recent Champions League meetings with Paris Saint-Germain, when he was used as a lone centre-forward in the absence of the injured Karim Benzema.
Valdano, a former Madrid player and coach who left the club during Jose Mourinho's time in charge, told "El Larguero" that his body language and lack of goals were a sign he was not enjoying his current role in Benitez's system.
"Ronaldo would prefer to play coming in from the left, as he has always done," Valdano said. "We have to say that Cristiano could be one of the best centre-forwards in the world, but he is playing under protest.
"I have been told something [from inside the club], but it is not scientific. We don't know if that is because he is not scoring goals, but what you can see is that he is not enjoying the games.
"You can see that from his body language -- as if he is playing in a position he does not like, where he is more uncomfortable. From the wing he can surprise the defence more; up front, with his back to goal, is different. [Against Sevilla] he barely got a chance."
Ronaldo has made several comments in recent weeks to suggest he is open to a move away from Madrid before his contract expires, although Benitez said on Saturday he was relaxed over the situation.
Even so, the fact that Ancelotti attended the premiere of Ronaldo's documentary film in London on Monday, while Benitez and Madrid president Florentino Perez did not, has prompted further debate in the local media.
Family photo with @Cristiano, @ChloeMcClay and Jorge Mendez at #CristianoFilm 's premiere. Don't miss it ! ���� pic.twitter.com/1cGUM4EVEs
- Carlo Ancelotti (@MrAncelotti) November 10, 2015
The AS newspaper's Real Madrid expert Juanma Trueba wrote: "If Cristiano seems to have begun his disconnection from Real Madrid, it is because he suffers a chemical incompatibility with the president and by extension with the coach signed against the will of the squad.
"He does not feel loved or listened to, or not sufficiently, and from there come his insinuations about his future and the latest flirting with France. Cristiano understands that he brings something special and does not receive the corresponding treatment.
"That way you can understand his last two games, the emotional distance, the photos with Ancelotti and that he puts more energy into promoting his film than easing the worries of Madrid fans, who are in turmoil after the defeat at Sevilla."
Marca also published an analysis of his recent form, saying he is not involved in "the team's overall game," is being played out of position and is "more concerned with his future -- probably away from the Bernabeu -- than his present."
The article added: "He is not as comfortable with Benitez as he was with Ancelotti. He simply does not get along as well with the new Real Madrid boss and that is bad for both the Portuguese and the team."