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2 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
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The Ballon d’Or winner has scored 50+ goals for the fifth consecutive season, thus reinforcing the reason why he is up there with Messi, as the top two footballers on this planet.
Early on in the season, Ronaldo looked like he was waltzing his way to plenty of records, such was his form in front of the goal as well as in the assists he provided.
However, Ronaldo faced a minor dip in form primarily due to the injury sustained by Luka Modric, who stitched the defense and the attack (BBC- Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo). Both goals and assists dried up for the Portuguese captain, which more or less affected the form of the Los Blancos.
Since seeing his role this season converted to that of a more conventional centre-forward, Ronaldo has been able to make more impact in front of the goal for himself (sometimes selfishly) and sometimes (unselfishly) for his teammates.
| Competitions | Goals | Assists |
| La Liga | 48 | 16 |
| UEFA Champions League | 10 | 3 |
| Copa del Rey | 1 | - |
| FIFA Club World Cup | - | 2 |
| UEFA Super Cup | 2 | - |
| Total | 61 | 21 |
1 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
The argument of whether or not Messi is the best player on the planet was laid to rest in a masterclass performance against his mentor’s Bayern Munich side in the semi-finals. A 10-minute blitzkrieg that resulted in two goals and an assist had both Boateng and Munich on their backsides.
A drop in form last season, coupled with the controversy surrounding the allegation of unpaid taxes had affected both Messi’s ability and Barcelona’s fortunes.
However, the arrival of Suarez has played a massive role in the upturn of Messi’s fortunes this season. Having struggled in a withdrawn role last season, Messi has been firing on all cylinders since the inception of MSN.
Floating in from wide areas, reminiscent under the tutelage of Guardiola, Messi has become very difficult to pick up for the opposition. Playing from the right, the Argentine seems to have been liberated, enjoying his game, dancing past players and yes nutmegging seems to be the new “in thing” at Nou Camp now (read Suarez).
| Competitions | Goals | Assists |
| La Liga | 43 | 18 |
| UEFA Champions League | 10 | 4 |
| Copa del Rey | 7 | 6 |
| Total | 60 | 28 |
