#1 – Lionel Messi – 23 goals – 46 points
Trending
There has been plenty of criticism aimed at Barcelona this season, but Lionel Messi has been without fault. Not just without fault, Messi has been a one-man show often enough this year, bailing out a faltering Barcelona multiple times. Last-minute penalties, free-kicks, those solo runs – Messi has been firing on all of his magnificent cylinders, even if his teammates haven’t.
With 23 goals in 23 games in La Liga so far, Messi has racked up a goal every game. He’s only played for 1869 minutes this season, scoring at a stunning rate of a goal every 81 minutes. The diminutive Argentinian leads all of Europe in goal contributions so far this season, with 7 assists added to the 23 goals he’s scored.
Despite the amount of competition that he faces for winning the European Golden Boot, Messi’s red hot form might see him win the trophy for the fourth time after a gap of four years, having previously won it in 2010, 2012 and 2013. He’d do well to come close to his record-setting tally of 50 goals in 2011-12 though, given that there are only 15 games left in the league season.
