ONCE famous for his extravagant stepovers and ability to leave defenders in his wake, Cristiano Ronaldo has this season evolved from fleet-footed winger to penalty box predator extraordinaire. Real Madrid have reaped the rewards of switching the Portuguese to play as more of a central striker. With eight goals in his last four knockout-stage appearances, he has almost single-handedly fired Zinedine Zidane's side into Saturday's Champions League final with Juventus.

This also puts the Los Blancos (Real's nickname) on the brink of their first Spanish league and European Cup double in 59 years, as they seek to become the first side to retain European football's biggest prize in successive seasons in its current format.

With his switch to the centre-forward role, Ronaldo has overtaken Jimmy Greaves as the top goalscorer in Europe's top five leagues. He has 368 goals between the English Premier League and Spain's La Liga, and has also surpassed the milestones of 400 goals for Real and 100 strikes in the Champions League.