Messi wins prestigious individual award in Europe
Barcelona star player Lionel Messi has finished the season as the top goalscorer on the continent after finding the back of the net on 34 times. The 30-year-old is set to be confirmed as the winner of the 2017/18 edition.
- Messi clinches his fifth Golden Shoe award in Europe
- The Argentine beat Mohammed Salah and Harry Kane
- Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo followed with 24 goals
Barcelona star player Lionel Messi has finished the season as the top goalscorer on the continent after finding the back of the net on 34 times in La Liga.
The 30-year-old is set to be confirmed as the winner of the 2017/18 European Golden Shoe after smashing 34 goals better than any other striker in Europe and also claiming the Pichichi Trophy.
Messi came in as a late substitute as Barca rounded off their season with a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad at Camp Nou.
The Argentina international's 34 Liga goals translate to a Golden Shoe score of 68 based on the league's coefficient, leaving him clear of Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (32/64) and Tottenham's Harry Kane (30/60).
The Liverpool and Tottenham strikers had no chance of catching up with Messi, leaving Ciro Immobile and Mauro Icardi.
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Immobile and Icardi both finished the Serie A season on 29 goals after they met in the dramatic clash between Lazio and Inter on the final day of the season, but both were well off Messi in the final reckoning.
Benfica sharp-shooter Jonas managed the same amount of goals as Messi going into the last round of fixtures, but was left out of contention due to the Portuguese Primeira Liga's inferior coefficient.
Cristiano Ronaldo was Messi's closest rival in the chart after recovering from a slow start to the campaign to finish with 26 goals.
Messi has now won five Pichichi's to Ronaldo's three, while he is also set to overtake Ronaldo's tally of four Golden Shoes with his most recent victory.
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Messi has now broke the 30-goal mark in La Liga for the seventh time in the last nine seasons having failed to reach that tally only in the 2013/14 and 2015/16 campaigns.
Messi scored his 100th Champions League goal against Chelsea in the round their 16 fixture where he scored three goals over two legs.
Though Barcelona were knocked out in the quarter finals by Roma but clinched their ninth La Liga title in 14 years.
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had earlier reported Enersto Valverde's side defeated Real Sociedad in Andres Iniesta's last match for La Blaugrana.
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Source: Naija.ng