With Cristiano Ronaldo turning 31 on Friday, what does the future hold for the Real Madrid forward? Beneath the six-pack and tan, even Ronaldo can’t halt his physical decline but he’s finding increasingly impressive ways to mask it, writes Adam Bate… When Keith Richards took to the Glastonbury stage in 2013, the days of playing fast and hard for 90 minutes or more were long behind him. And yet, the Rolling Stones guitarist still delivered. There were cheers as he stepped up to sing You Got the Silver, howls when the plectrum struck for Start Me Up and joy when the riff to Satisfaction belted out from the Pyramid Stage.For much of the intervening periods between these high points, Richards was a picture of relative inertia. Mick Taylor was drafted in for the more intricate licks, while Ronnie Wood continued to provide the ever unlikely safety net. But people remember the highlights and Richards had produced enough of them to entertain once more. The crowd went home happy. The comparison between the septuagenarian Richards and Real Madrid icon Cristiano Ronaldo is not, admittedly, an obvious one. The musicians body is more garbage dump than temple. But as Ronaldo turns 31 on Friday, his career too is entering its twilight years. Hes the one having to scale back the activity in order to keep coming up with the highlights.Time waits for no mans fast-twitch muscle fibres. Unless youre Justin Gatlin, sprinters just dont speed up after turning 30. Muscle mass and flexibility declines. Nobody is working harder than Ronaldo to delay that process - former Real assistant Paul Clement tells tales of 3am ice baths after away trips - but its a process that can only be slowed, never reversed. Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in Real Madrids 6-0 win over Espanyol at the Bernabeu Look hard enough and the proof is there in the numbers. At one time, it was Ronaldos dribbling skills that set him apart as a truly special talent. However, its this aspect of his game that now best highlights how his strengths have changed over the years. As the turn of pace has become less remarkable, the dribbling has become less frequent.In his first season at Real Madrid, Ronaldo averaged 3.3 dribbles per 90 minutes. But that number dropped to 2.3 the following season and by last year it was down to 1.6 per full game. So far this season he averages only 1.2 dribbles per 90 minutes. That puts him well outside the top 100 dribblers in La Liga and hes not in the top 100 in the Champions League this season, either. Ronaldos game has changed over the years as shown by his La Liga dribbling stats Instead, Ronaldo has been forced to find ways around the problem and its fascinating watching him attempt to do it. Becoming the purest of finishers has helped. Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen once accused Ronaldo of trying to score the perfect goal by aiming for the top corner every time, but its volume that preoccupies him now.This season has been one of goal gluts. Eight of them have come in two games against Espanyol. There were four in a Champions League game against Malmo and a hat-trick in the same competition against Shakhtar Donetsk. Prowling the environs of the penalty area, he has scored 13 times in his last six appearances in front of his adoring Real Madrid crowd. Keeping up with Lionel Messi is likely to get more and more difficult for Ronaldo Of course, with so many of his goals coming in so few of his games, there is another side to this story. Ronaldo hasnt scored on his travels since November. The best in the business is becoming a Bernabeu bully on that flattest of tracks. He knows all the short cuts there, after all. As a consequence, hes been able to mask his physical decline through goals.I think he peaked one or two years ago, Ronaldos biographer Guillem Balague told Sky Sports. What we are seeing is an extraordinary striker who will continue scoring goals, but I feel his influence on the game is diminishing. Certainly, thats true of his influence on the biggest games this season. Ronaldo has failed to score in his six matches against Europes top-20 ranked sides. What we are seeing is an extraordinary striker who will continue scoring goals, but I feel his influence on the game is diminishing. Guillem Balague So how long can Ronaldo continue to pull off the trick? He appears confident. My dream is to retire at Real Madrid, he told Marca in October. If you take care of yourself you can play until you are 40. I want to keep going for another five or six years. By November, that had changed slightly with a timetable of retirement in four or five years being floated.Former Real Madrid fitness coach Valter Di Salvo once predicted that Ronaldo will play up to the age of 38 at the top, but whats clear is that the stopwatch has started. As a battle with Lionel Messi subsides, the battle with Father Time becomes more urgent. Its one even Ronaldo cant win. But just like Richards as he sent the crowds wild at Glastonbury, he might yet be able to provide a memorable moment or two along the way. Get Sky Sports Alerts Breaking news, line ups and goal alerts from Real Madrid - direct to your mobile Also See: Ronaldo hits treble for Real La Liga Weekly Podcast Stitched Soccer Jerseys . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie. https://www.fakesoccerjerseys.com/ . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Soccer Jerseys Black Friday .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Authentic . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Cleveland Browns will sign veteran backup Charlie Whitehurst to add to their depleted quarterback corps after working him out Monday.On Monday night, Whitehursts agency, SportsTrust Advisors, tweeted that Whitehurst would be joining the Browns:The Browns need a backup quarterback after left shoulder injuries sidelined both Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown.Griffin started the opener, but he is out for at least eight games with a broken coracoid bone in his left shoulder. McCown has a deep shoulder sprain and will miss at least this week and perhaps more games.Rookie Cody Kessler will start Sunday in Miami. Whitehurst figures to be the backup. The Browns also could activate rookie Kevin Hogan from the practice squad if they want a third quarterback available.Whitehurst, 34, played for the Colts and Titans last season. He hhas also played for the Chargers and Seahawks in a seven-year career that started in 2006 and had a three-year gap from 2007 to 2009.dddddddddddd In his career, Whitehurst has completed 55.1 percent of his throws for 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His career record as a starter is 2-7. He last started a game on Dec. 28, 2014, a 27-10 Titans loss to the Colts.Last season, Whitehurst threw 32 passes. Only once in his career has he had more than 100 attempts.Cleveland fans may remember he was the quarterback who relieved Jake Locker in Tennessee in 2014 when the Browns erased a 28-3 deficit to win 29-28. Whitehurst played the second half for Tennessee in the biggest comeback in Browns history. ' ' '