Race for the European Golden Shoe - January 2019 watch

#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

GOAT?

League - Spain's LaLiga

Goals - 15 goals (30 points)

Anyone anywhere in the world who does not instantly recognize Lionel Messi has probably been living under a rock for the last 15 years or had his/her memory wiped out - the Argentine's impact has been that far-reaching.

Ever since he burst onto the scene as a funny looking but mesmerizing talented 18-year-old at the 2005 U20 World Cup hosted in the Netherlands, it has all been an upward trajectory for Lionel Messi in a way arguably not ever seen before.

Messi's records are so numerous that repeating them here would be an exercise in futility, while his rivalry with Ronaldo has been the stuff of myths and legends, and if you did not witness it first hand, it would be tempting to discard it as an old wives' tale.

Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest player of all time, but beyond that, he is unarguably the greatest playmaker of his generation (and possibly in history), seeing spaces that no one else sees, and having the wherewithal to exploit them with pin-point dead accurate passes.

Beyond his playmaking abilities, Lionel Messi is also a goalscorer of the highest proportions, and this is perhaps best evidenced by the fact that he has won the European Golden Shoe a record-breaking five times.

Having been snubbed off the individual awards for the last couple of seasons (and not even making a podium finish this year), Lionel Messi has begun the season like a house on fire. He had a shoulder injury earlier in the campaign which halted his progress, but he returned earlier than expected and is almost on a one-man mission to restore his pride of place as the best player in the world.

In just 15 LaLiga matches, Messi has scored 15 goals, also adding 10 assists to help Barcelona sit top of the LaLiga standing. You can bet that he is the odds-on favourite to maintain the lead in this race to get his record-extending sixth European Golden Boot once the season comes to an end (although Ronaldo might have something to say about that).