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#3 Lionel Messi (2012-13) - 46 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were actively one-upping each other at the peak of their powers in the 2010s. Messi won the Pichichi trophy in back-to-back seasons despite Ronaldo's best efforts.
This time it was Messi's turn to lead his side to the La Liga title. The Argentine scored 46 goals and provided 13 assists from just 32 appearances in the 2012-13 season. Messi had a spectacular season as he scored 60 goals and 17 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions.
Barcelona cruised their way to the La Liga title. They finished the season with 100 points and had 15 points more than second-placed Real Madrid.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (2014-15) - 48 goals
Lionel Messi scored 43 goals in the 2014-15 La Liga season. Scoring more than 40 goals in the regular season is quite an incredible feat. But despite scoring at more than one goal per game, Messi was denied the Pichichi trophy in the 2014-15 season as Ronaldo outscored him with 48 goals from 35 appearances.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 61 goals and provided 23 assists from 54 appearances in the 2014-15 season. But despite his outstanding rate of productivity, Real Madrid did not win any major titles that season. They finished second in the La Liga title race, just two points behind eventual winners Barcelona.
In all fairness, Barcelona had the dominant MSN trio running riot and the Catalans hadn't looked that threatening since Pep Guardiola's time as manager.
#1 Lionel Messi (2011-12) - 50 goals
In 2012, Lionel Messi broke the record for most goals scored by an individual in a single calendar year, with 91 goals. Messi was at the peak of his powers and could run rings around defenders all day long. He also had Xavi and Andres Iniesta providing service of the highest quality behind him.
At the age of 24, Messi became the top scorer in Barcelona's history after overtaking Cesar Rodriguez's tally of 232 goals. Messi's numbers from the 2011-12 season are staggeringly high.
In 37 La Liga appearances, Lionel Messi scored 50 goals and provided 20 assists. He averaged almost 2 goal contributions per game that season. Across all competitions in the 2011-12 season, he scored 73 goals and provided 34 assists from 60 appearances.
Messi also won the Ballon d'Or that year and was simply a cut above the competition.
