Fans vote for La Liga Player of the Season, Lionel Messi not first

The 2019-20 La Liga campaign came to a dramatic climax, as Real Madrid got their hands on the prize for the 34th time in the club's illustrious history. Having trailed Barcelona before the restart, Los Blancos recorded ten successive victories to win the La Liga title for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

Much like any other league campaign in the modern era, Lionel Messi was one of the best performers. However, the Argentine was unable to prevent Barcelona from surrendering the La Liga crown, as they were pipped by arch-rivals Real Madrid in a thrilling title race.

Top scorer in La Liga, again.Lionel Messi sets a new record by winning his seventh Pichichi trophy 🏆 pic.twitter.com/1vrRUzD72T

— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 19, 2020

Spanish publication Marca ran a vote to decide their pick for the La Liga Player of the Season award, as fans across the world took part in large numbers.

Sensationally, Messi didn't secure top sport, as he was beaten to the award by Real Madrid's Karim Benzema.

Real Madrid's Benzema pips Lionel Messi in La Liga fans vote

Karim Benzema led from the front for Real Madrid

The Frenchman enjoyed a stunning 2019-20 La Liga campaign and spearheaded Real Madrid's title charge, as he notched up 21 goals and earned 37% of the votes. While Messi took home the Pichichi and led the league for goals and assists, he only got 31% of the votes.

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos was named third on the list, while the likes of Jan Oblak, Lucas Ocampos, Diego Carlos, Gerard Moreno, Martin Odegaard, Thibaut Courtois and Santi Cazorla completed the rest of the top ten.

Messi enjoyed a stunning La Liga season on a personal level, as he recorded 25 goals and 21 assists and topped the league for both those stats. Additionally, Messi also became the first player in La Liga history to record more than 20 assists in a single season, as he wrote himself in the history books yet again.

Sergio Ramos rolled back the years and produced the goods for Real Madrid

Real Madrid's Ramos also carved out his own piece of history, as he became the first La Liga defender in this century to score 11 league goals in a single campaign.

Sergio Ramos has scored 11 La Liga goals this season, the most by a defender in a single season in the 21st century. LEGEND 🙌 pic.twitter.com/0pMWPpWhQK

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 19, 2020

Barcelona and Real Madrid played out a thrilling La Liga campaign, with Messi and Benzema leading the charge respectively.

The two great rivals are still alive in the Champions League and will look to progress as far as possible when the tournament resumes next month.

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