It looks like Cristiano Ronaldo's four-year reign as UEFA Champions League season top scorer was about to be over, but the great one strikes back in the knockouts and now just a goal away to catch-up with rival Lionel Messi.

As Real Madrid are all set to face Juventus in the final of the UEFA Champions League at Cardiff, the Portuguese international, Ronaldo, now needs one goal to tile with leading scorer of the season Messi.

Before the knockouts, its seems impossible for Madrid forward to save his four-year reign, but five goals across the two legs against Bayern München and a hat-trick at home to Atlético Madrid in the semi-finals put him right back in contention.

He now needs just one in the final against Juventus in Cardiff to match the 11-goal haul of Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo had mustered two goals from his first eight outings of this continental campaign, and ahead of the quarter-finals he was nine adrift of frontrunner Messi.

Yet a sensational return to scoring form promptly made him the first man to net 100 goals in European competition, and then the first to hit 100 in the UEFA Champions League, putting his great rival from Barcelona back in his sights. He has even now matched Messi's record of seven UEFA Champions League hat-tricks.

With Messi unable to add to his tally, and the Cardiff showpiece still to come for Ronaldo, could he finish top of the pile yet again? If he manages at least a share of the lead, he will break yet another record: the first player to finish European Cup top scorer (or equal top scorer) for five seasons running.