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Lionel Messi is doing it again. The Argentinean has been in fascinating form this season and seems to be getting even better with the passage of time. He has been breaking records already so far and has powered Barcelona to the top of the La Liga table, with a little breathing space from the rest of the competition.
But the Argentinean is not aiming for the league alone. Messi won the Supercoppa at the start of the season, as Barcelona beat Sevilla. He has been inspiring Barcelona ahead in the UEFA Champions League too, while Barcelona have also reached the final of the Copa Del Rey with their Skipper playing an important part in that competition as well.
As such, it is only fair to accept that Lionel Messi has been at the top of his game again this season. However, the statistics reveal how the Argentinean has been the pick of the top footballers in Europe so far. Today, we take a look at 5 statistics from this season that confirm the Lionel Messi is a league apart from all his competitors.
All Stats courtesy of Whoscored and Transfermkt
#5 Constant threat on the field
Even though his goal scoring exploits often grab the headlines, the Argentinean contributes a lot more to the team on the field. Messi is a constant threat on the field, because he can hurt the opposition from anywhere on the pitch and statistics suggest just that.
Lionel Messi is averaging 3.9 dribbles per game in La Liga and 2.2 dribbles per game in the Champions League. No doubt every time he has the ball, defenders continue to tremble. He also averages 3.6 key passes per game in the Champions League and 3 key passes per game in La Liga.
The Argentinean has been equally influential from deeper in the field, and has registered 3.2 long balls per game in the Champions League and 3.5 in La Liga, on an average. He has also managed at least 1 through ball per game in both La Liga and Champions League.
No player in entire European Football has such diverse set of skills, and Messi has continued his magic this season to reign supreme at the top of the pile.
Also see : Fantasy Premier League , Fantasy Premier League Tips, Intercontinental Cup
#4 Most assists in Europe
Few players in the world have the ability to pick a pass like Lionel Messi. What sets him apart, though, is his constant ability to set his team mates up to score. He has been the La Liga top assist provider in 4 different seasons already, and the Argentinean is once again leading the charts in assists in the whole of Europe so far this season.
Messi has 12 assists from 25 appearances in the League, which is the most in all top 5 leagues in Europe this season so far. The only player who comes close to the Argentinean is Chelsea's Eden Hazard, who has assisted 11 goals from 28 appearances in the Premier League.
The Argentinean also has 1 assist in the Champions League, 3 in the Copa Del Rey and 1 in Supercopa, which means that Messi has already registered 17 assists from 35 games in all competitions this season. Once again, no player in Europe has come close to replicating those numbers.
#3 Front Runner for the La Liga Golden Boot
It is quite fitting that the best player in the World is once again among the top contenders for the Pichichi Trophy, an honour that he has won 5 times already in his career. Messi won the honours in the 2009/2010, 2011/2012, 2012/2013, 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 seasons and might be on course to win the award for the 6th time at the end of this season.
Also Read: Top Contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot - March 2019
The Argentinean has scored 26 goals from 25 games so far this season and is already miles ahead of the competition. The player nearest to him in the chart is Luis Suarez, his team mate at Barcelona, who has scored 17 goals from 26 games so far and is a long way behind to the Barcelona Skipper.
Messi has already scored 2 hattricks so far this season in La Liga and has found the back of the net 17 times in his last 13 games in the League!
#2 Goals per game
Lionel Messi scores goals for fun and this season too, there has been no exception. He has scored deft penalties, exquisite free kicks and silky lobs with equal ease. When people questioned his abilities, labelled him as a "single skilled" player, he scored with his head and with his right foot too.
The Argentinean has learnt over the years that goals are the most essential part of a game and has been astonishingly consistent in his goal scoring form so far in his career. This season too, Messi has continued his fantastic goal scoring prowess, averaging more than a goal per game in both the Champions League as well as La Liga.
In the Champions League, the Barcelona Skipper has scored 6 goals from 5 appearances, while in La Liga, he has 26 goals from 25 appearances. Messi also has 2 goals from 4 appearances in Copa Del Rey and now has 34 goals from 35 appearances in all competitions. No players in the whole of Europe comes close to him.
#1 Front Runner for the European Golden Shoe
Lionel Messi already created history last season when he became the first player to win the European Golden Shoe 5 times. This season too, greatness beckons him, as he strives to pick up his 6th trophy of his career.
Messi also won the award in the last two seasons and as such could become the first player to win the award 3 consecutive times. The Argentinean already has 26 league goals so far and is the front runner for the European Golden Shoe at the moment. He is leading the charts with 52 points and his closest competitor is PSG's Kylian Mbappe, who has scored 24 goals and has 48 points to his name.
Also in the frame are Samdoria's veteran striker Fabio Quagliarella with 40 points, Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo and AC Milan Krzysztof Piatek with 38 points and Manchester City's Sergio Aguero with 36 points. With the season drawing to an end in 2 months time, it could be a close finish, especially at the top, but as of now, Lionel Messi is once again the favourite to get his hands on the top prize.
