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What's the story?
According to Opta Germany, Lionel Messi and Manchester City's winger duo of Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane are the only three players in Europe's top five leagues (England, Germany, Spain, France and Italy) to have registered double-digit figures for goals and assists in both the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons so far.
The record reflects the level of consistency as well as the impact the three players have created to their teams, winning a combined total of 10 trophies across the two seasons.
In case you didn't know...
Messi is having another record-breaking season at Barcelona and is set to win his 6th Pichichi trophy for the LaLiga top scorer with 34 goals in the Spanish top flight this season, with one game left to go in the campaign. This will tie him with the legendary Telmo Zarra as the two players with the most Pichichi wins to their name, thus equalling a record that has stood for 66 years!
Messi's exploits ensured that despite the Champions League heartbreak at the hands of Liverpool, Barcelona won the La Liga title and are on course for a second domestic double having qualified for the Copa del Rey final.
Sterling and Sane have been instrumental this season for Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, playing pivotal roles as the Cityzens won their second consecutive Premier League title. This feat ensured that Guardiola's City joined the elite company since Sir Alex Ferguson defended the title with United.
Despite ouster at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League, Guradiola's second season in charge is considered a huge success and he has hauled his team into the FA Cup final, scheduled for this Sunday.
The heart of the matter
As reported, Sterling, Sane and Messi are the only players from Europe's top 5 leagues to register double-digit figures for both goals and assists in both the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
As expected however, in terms of absolute numbers, Messi blows away both the Manchester City players, scoring double the goals Sterling has scored each season.
What's next?
It remains to be seen if Messi features in Barcelona's final LaLiga game of the season against Eibar on Sunday. Valverde will want to conserve his star man's energy for the Copa del Rey final versus Valencia on 26th May, Sunday.
Manchester City face Watford in the FA Cup final this Saturday, with kickoff set for 9:30 pm IST, as Guardiola looks to make his team's season more memorable with a domestic double.
