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#3 Diego Forlan | Vilarreal and Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid are well known for scouting and creating some of the most world-class strikers in La Liga history. Two-time Golden Boot winner Diego Forlan is right at the very top of that illustrious list.
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But Forlan was already an excellent player in the making at Villarreal. After failing to break into the star-studded Manchester United lineup, a switch to Villarreal did wonders for his career. With regular game time under his belt, the Uruguayan became an instant hit, scoring goal after goal from the get-go.
Forlan shared the Pichichi trophy (La Liga top scorer) with Samuel Eto'o in 2005, with both scoring 25 goals apiece. After three successful years with the Yellow Submarine, Forlan made the switch to fellow La Liga side Atletico Madrid.
After a decent start with Los Rojiblancos, the Uruguayan striker erupted in his second season, scoring 32 goals for the side. The same season also saw Forlan win the European Golden Boot award as well. Only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi secured more Golden Boot awards than Forlan in the 21st century.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid
After securing a then-record transfer from Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo signed as a megastar in Madrid. His arrival marked the beginning of an epic rivalry with Lionel Messi. The Portuguese set fire to La Liga in his second season, winning the Golden Boot by scoring a huge tally of 40 league goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo went back and forth with Lionel Messi for a number of individual titles, including the La Liga Golden boot, during his time in Spain.
The Real Madrid number seven won a total of three Golden Boot awards, with his next two coming in consecutive seasons from 2013-2015. Notably, Cristiano Ronaldo never scored below 25 goals during his stay in La Liga in any season, with his highest tally coming in at a staggering 48 goals in 2014-15.
The current Juventus star was able to win the La Liga Golden Boot thrice in his career. Cristiano Ronaldo will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest goal-scorers in La Liga history.
#1 Lionel Messi | FC Barcelona
What more can you say about Lionel Messi that hasn't been said already? Like Cristiano Ronaldo, he may not be part of La Liga anymore, but he leaves after an era of domination.
It was no different in the Golden Boot race as Lionel Messi won the individual award in each of the last five consecutive La Liga seasons. His total tally stands at an all-time high of eight Golden Boot awards, with his first coming in 2009-10.
It started a streak of three Golden Boots in four La Liga seasons for Lionel Messi, including a record-breaking 50 league goals in 2011-12.
The iconic rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo pushed Lionel Messi to perform season after season, ultimately bringing out the best in him.
The Argentine ruled the La Liga Golden Boot race for seasons to come, winning the title each year since the 2016-17 season. La Liga's all-time leading goal scorer with a mammoth 474 goals, Lionel Messi, will go down as the greatest ever forward in the competition.
