Science dictates that professional footballers should slow down when they enter their 30s - but try telling that to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Despite turning 32 in February, the Portuguese continues to make the difference for Real Madrid with his unrivalled goalscoring ability.

It's in the Champions League where Ronaldo really comes alive. He scored a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in midweek to all but guarantee a place in the final.

And in the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich, where Real ran out 6-3 winners on aggregate, Ronaldo scored five goals across the two legs.

In order to maintain his phenomenal goalscoring record, CR7 has had to change his style of play.

Ronaldo has lost a yard of pace over the past couple of years and as a result, he can no longer roar past defenders using pure skill and speed.

Instead, the Portugal international now uses intelligence, choosing the right moments to try and take on defenders and make runs in behind.

Former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville has certainly noticed a difference in the way Ronaldo plays and believes he could transform into a centre-forward.

He said before the recent El Clasico: "I was thinking the other day, what's the long game for him? And I wonder if he's going to go on and play into his 40s.

"I wonder if he's building up for a long career as a centre-forward, where he can still score two goals and live off moments. He's living off moments more than his all-round performance now."

Zinedine Zidane is all too aware of how age impacts the body and according to the Frenchman, Ronaldo has made one change in particular to cope.

Speaking ahead of the weekend's action, Zidane explained that Ronaldo has come to terms with how, at 32-years-old, he must be rested for games from time to time to recover.

"I speak with Cristiano all the time and I know him very well," the Real manager said. "He knows that until now he played 60-70 games a season and the accumulation of all those years meant he needs to rest a little.

"I'm not the coach that has made him rest, all I know is that players need to rest, especially if they want to arrive at the final stage of the season in top condition."

Ronaldo has shown maturity by making the decision himself to miss games. He isn't 24 anymore, so it's impossible to play each and every game for Real.