Cristiano Ronaldo may have "lost freshness and speed" with age but the Portuguese star will still be decisive for Real Madrid at the right time, according to club legend Raul Gonzalez.
The four-time Ballon d'Or winner and the Best FIFA Men's Player of the year, Ronaldo received great acclaim following an impressive 2016 which saw him lift the Champions League trophy with his club and the European Championship with his country.
He scored 35 league goals in 36 games to help Real finish runners-up to Barcelona in La Liga and struck 16 goals in 12 Champions League appearances, including the winning penalty in the final against Atletico Madrid.
"He deservedly won the accolade, and also had a good season until now," Raul said of Ronaldo in an interview with kicker magazine.
In his previous seven campaigns at the club, Real have relied on Ronaldo scoring in almost every game.
The 32-year-old has rested this season more than in previous years, starting in 21 of Real's 26 league games, scoring 19 goals but failing to find the back of the net in eight of those games.
Real coach Zinedine Zidane has moved Ronaldo to a more central striking role and although he has come up with four assists in eight Champions League appearances, he has scored in the competition only twice this season.
Raul said: "We are now entering the crucial stage, now the big players need to show up. I expect him to be in very good shape.
"He sometimes plays closer to the box, it's more difficult there. But please: He still has his potential. Maybe he lost a bit of freshness and speed, but that's normal at his age. And he might have not won all of his direct duels recently, but beware: He spoiled us previously. "
Ronaldo, who has scored in his last four league appearances for Real, nodded in the equaliser in his team's 2-1 home win over Real Betis on Sunday, a result that allowed the club to leapfrog Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
In doing so, Ronaldo surpassed Athletic Bilbao's Aritz Aduriz as the only active player to have scored 46 headed goals in La Liga.
Raul, who is La Liga's country manager for the United States, is a big admirer of Ronaldo.
Ronaldo smashed Raul's record of 323 goals in 741 games to become the club's all-time scorer in 2015, doing so in just 310 games.
Asked to pick who is better between Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi, the two superstars who have dominated football for the past decade, the former Spain international said: "Football is not an individual sport, it's about the team, the success of the team.
"I like both, but Cristiano a bit more since he plays at Real.
"Messi is outstanding, but what Cristiano has achieved for Real as the club's all-time top scorer, bagging over 50 goals every season, it deserves every credit."
Raul, who won six league titles and three European Cup for Real, and had spells at Schalke 04, Al Sadd and New York Cosmos before retiring in 2015, expects his former club to beat Barca to the league title.
"They already top the league and play the Clasico at home in late April," Raul said.
Real are also trying to become the first team to win the Champions League trophy two straight times and are through to the quarterfinals after a 6-2 aggregate win over Napoli.
"Both [La Liga and Champions League] are important," Raul said. "You should never say that or that trophy is worth less. You want them all."