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#3-The gap between Messi and his competition is immense
Messi had finished a distant 5th at last year's Ballon d'Or awards, with World Cup winners Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe along with UEFA Champions League winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric, scoring more than him. All four of these players have been eliminated from this year's Champions League and among the pool of players competing in the UCL semis, Messi individual record this season blows away all competition.
Messi leads the race in the La Liga, UEFA Champions League and European Golden Boot scoring charts, blowing away all competition. He has scored 45 goals and contributed 15 assists so far in all competitions for Barcelona. A scatter graph between assists per game and goals per game reveals the widening gap between Messi and the rest, Messi occupying a lonely position on the right-hand top corner. Messi also leads in terms of game impact, his record of 21 Man of the Match awards way ahead of the chasing pack this season. His goals have helped Barcelona reach the UEFA Champions League semis, lead the La Liga with a 9 point gap over their nearest rivals and reach the final of the Copa del Rey.
Messi has 15 Man of the Match Awards this season in the La Liga, the most for any player in Europe's top 5 leagues.
