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La Liga has always been home to some of the best attackers the game has ever seen. In the last decade, the Spanish top-flight became the stage for the fiery Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi rivalry.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated the Pichichi trophy
The Pichichi trophy is awarded every year to the top goalscorer in La Liga. We've only had three different winners in the La Liga Golden Boot race in the last ten years.
Both players went neck-to-neck for records and accolades over a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018. Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had their dominant phases and good fortune seemed to oscillate between the two.
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Without further ado, let's take a look at the players who have scored the most goals in one La Liga season.
#5 Lionel Messi (2014-15) - 43 goals
After losing the final of the 2014 World Cup, Lionel Messi was a man on a mission in the 2014-15 season. Joined on the frontline by Luis Suarez and Neymar, Messi had the freedom to express himself in the final third. Suffice to say, the Argentine international gave it his best.
He scored 43 goals and provided 21 assists in 38 La Liga appearances in the 2014-15 season. He dominated oppositions and was sharp with both his shooting and playmaking. Across all competitions in the 2014-15 season, Messi scored 58 goals and provided 31 assists.
Barcelona won the continental treble that season and Messi cruised his way to his fifth Ballon d'Or. With a G+A tally of 89 from 57 matches, it would have taken a superhuman effort from Ronaldo to overtake Lionel Messi in the race for the Ballon d'Or. But he did cut it quite close.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (2011-12) - 46 goals
Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid were able to beat Pep Guardiola's Barcelona to the La Liga title in the 2011-12 season. It was all down to Cristiano Ronaldo's heroics. The Portuguese international was nearly unstoppable as he led from the front and started making goalscoring look easy on a regular basis.
In 38 appearances in La Liga, Ronaldo scored 46 goals and provided 12 assists. Real Madrid got 100 points that season and lost just two games in La Liga. In 55 matches across all competitions, Ronaldo scored 60 goals and provided 15 assists.
Barcelona had looked invincible up until that point and it was a monumental achievement for Jose Mourinho's side. It would not have happened had Cristiano Ronaldo not showcased unreal form.
#3 Lionel Messi (2012-13) - 46 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were actively one-upping each other at the peak of their powers in the 2010s. Messi won the Pichichi trophy in back-to-back seasons despite Ronaldo's best efforts.
This time it was Messi's turn to lead his side to the La Liga title. The Argentine scored 46 goals and provided 13 assists from just 32 appearances in the 2012-13 season. Messi had a spectacular season as he scored 60 goals and 17 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions.
Barcelona cruised their way to the La Liga title. They finished the season with 100 points and had 15 points more than second-placed Real Madrid.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (2014-15) - 48 goals
Lionel Messi scored 43 goals in the 2014-15 La Liga season. Scoring more than 40 goals in the regular season is quite an incredible feat. But despite scoring at more than one goal per game, Messi was denied the Pichichi trophy in the 2014-15 season as Ronaldo outscored him with 48 goals from 35 appearances.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 61 goals and provided 23 assists from 54 appearances in the 2014-15 season. But despite his outstanding rate of productivity, Real Madrid did not win any major titles that season. They finished second in the La Liga title race, just two points behind eventual winners Barcelona.
In all fairness, Barcelona had the dominant MSN trio running riot and the Catalans hadn't looked that threatening since Pep Guardiola's time as manager.
#1 Lionel Messi (2011-12) - 50 goals
In 2012, Lionel Messi broke the record for most goals scored by an individual in a single calendar year, with 91 goals. Messi was at the peak of his powers and could run rings around defenders all day long. He also had Xavi and Andres Iniesta providing service of the highest quality behind him.
At the age of 24, Messi became the top scorer in Barcelona's history after overtaking Cesar Rodriguez's tally of 232 goals. Messi's numbers from the 2011-12 season are staggeringly high.
In 37 La Liga appearances, Lionel Messi scored 50 goals and provided 20 assists. He averaged almost 2 goal contributions per game that season. Across all competitions in the 2011-12 season, he scored 73 goals and provided 34 assists from 60 appearances.
Messi also won the Ballon d'Or that year and was simply a cut above the competition.
