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Hello and welcome to daily news roundup for Barcelona!
The Blaugrana are only few games away from securing another historic treble in their rich history. The Catalan giants have almost won the LaLiga and still going strong in the Champions League, where they will face Liverpool in the semifinals.
Today's top stories feature Lionel Messi, an incredible statistic from Barcelona's rearguard and Arthur.
Here are the top stories of the day surrounding the Catalan giants!
Kylian Mbappe not giving up on Golden Shoe
As we are approaching towards the business end of the season, the battle for European Golden Shoe keeps getting interesting. Lionel Messi has continuously proved that he is head and shoulder's above everyone else.
The five time Ballon d'Or winner has racked up a staggering 45 goals in all competitions and is enjoying another sensational season with Barcelona. Messi leads in the Golden Shoe race with 33 goals (66 points) but Mbappe is not far behind with 60 points.
The 20-year-old scored a hat-trick against Monaco and now has scored 30 league goals, just three short of Lionel Messi's tally. Messi had already won the award five times previously.
With Barcelona still having three competitions to fight for, it remains to be seen whether Mbappe can pull off a stunning win in an individual battle between him and the Argentine.
Barcelona defenders love to attack
Blaugrana defenders keep contributing- not just with their defensive skills but in the attacks of the squad. A report reveals how good Barcelona defenders have been this season with their abilities to defend and score when required.
Barcelona rearguard are proving why they are 'Mes Que en defenders' with their ability to help the squad to score goals. Messi has netted 33 goals and Suarez has scored 20 in LaLiga but the defenders have popped in times of need. Goals from Jordi Alba and Clement Lenglet helped Catalan giants garner a close win last weekend.
Alba has contributed to 10 goals already for Barcelona this season but Gerard Pique has scored more goals than him and is amazingly the fifth highest scorer in the squad. The center-back has scored seven goals in all competitions - four of them coming in Spanish league.
Arthur opens up
In his first season at the Nou Camp, the Brazilian midfielder has performed exceptionally well and shown his caliber against the toughest of opposition. Arthur remains a pivotal player for Valverde and recently opened up about Messi and how his season went so far.
"Pique is very handsome," Arthur told the Brazilian newspaper Ale Oliveira via Marca.
"He's tall with a beautiful face and he always looks like a groom at a wedding. He is a character and he's always joking with everyone."
Arthur also heaped praise on Blaugrana captain, Lionel Messi.
"Messi's amazing on and off the pitch," he added.
"He's our leader in the dressing room; he reads football like nobody else and he's extremely intelligent. He speaks to everyone and I still say to myself today, 'that's Messi!'"
On his debut season, Arthur admitted:
"I didn't expect to play this much. I thought I'd have to go through a period of adaptation, but all of my teammates helped me a lot."
