MX23RW : Monday, December 23 03:28:35| >> :120:15239:15239:

How the La Liga Golden Boot race is shaping up

Ahead of La Liga's restart, Sports Mole looks at the Golden Boot standings as history-chasing Lionel Messi once again leads the way.

La Liga football will return this evening when Sevilla host local rivals Real Betis, more than three months after the last piece of Spanish top-flight action.

Spain was hit worse than most by the deadly coronavirus pandemic, but elements of life are beginning to return to normal and the resumption of La Liga will come as welcome news to football fans up and down the country.

A number of issues must still be determined - including the title race, top-four battle and relegation scrap - as the division heads in to a packed period of 110 games in just 39 days.

On an individual level there are accolades to determine too, most notably the Golden Boot race for the league's top scorer.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how the battle currently stands ahead of play restarting.



Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their fifth goal on January 30, 2020© Reuters

It is no surprise to see Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi at the top of the standings once again, despite missing a significant chunk of the campaign through injury.

The Argentine, who is now 127 goals clear of Cristiano Ronaldo as La Liga's leading scorer of all time, has added 19 to his tally from just 22 top-flight outings this term.

At the risk of doubting the goalscoring capabilities of arguably the greatest player ever, Messi's overall tally is likely to be the lowest to win the award for over a decade, but history still beckons for the Barca number 10.

Messi is currently five goals clear of his closest competitor - Real Madrid's Karim Benzema - and so looks destined for a fourth straight La Liga Golden Boot, which is something only Hugo Sanchez and Alfredo Di Stefano have managed before.

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema celebrates scoring their fourth goal on January 29, 2020© Reuters

Even more notable is the fact that this would be the seventh time he has ended a campaign as the division's top scorer, surpassing Telmo Zarra to move out on his own as the player with the most Spanish top flight Golden Boots.

There is a slight question mark hanging over his fitness for Barcelona's first game back against Mallorca, but the champions have moved to quell any concerns and it is unlikely that missing one or even two games would open the door enough for Benzema to leapfrog him in the standings.

Behind the Real Madrid forward are three players all on 11 goals apiece - Luis Suarez, who is now fit again after injury, Lucas Perez and Gerard Moreno.

Messi, predictably, has the best minutes-per-goal ratio of anyone to have netted two or more times in the division this season, scoring on average once every 99 minutes.

Interestingly it is 33-year-old Getafe striker Angel Rodriguez who is next in that particular list, with many of his 24 appearances coming off the bench and his 10 goals coming at an average of one every 109 minutes.

> Click here to listen to our podcast looking ahead to the return of La Liga

ID:402047: cacheID:402047:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6213:
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Barcelona's Lionel Messi in action with Real Madrid's Toni Kroos in La Liga at Camp Nou on December 18, 2019
Read Next:
The story of the La Liga season so far
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Atletico MadridAtletico18125133122141
2Real Madrid18124241182340
3Barcelona19122551222938
4Athletic Bilbao19106329171236
5Villarreal188643430430
6Mallorca199371921-230
7Real Sociedad187471613325
8GironaGirona187472625125
9Real BetisBetis186752122-125
10Osasuna186752327-425
11Celta Vigo187382728-124
12Rayo Vallecano185762021-122
13Las PalmasLas Palmas186482327-422
14Sevilla186482027-722
15Leganes184681728-1118
16AlavesAlaves184592130-917
17Getafe183781115-416
18Espanyol1843111630-1415
19Valencia172691626-1012
20Real ValladolidValladolid1833121237-2512


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!