Messi claims 4th European Golden Shoe after 37-goal season
Reuters / Sergio Perez
Lionel Messi outclassed his peers in the race for the European Golden Shoe, scoring 37 times in La Liga this season to claim the prestigious award for a joint-record fourth time.
Messi's haul bettered Bas Dost's 34 goals in Portugal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's 31 tallies and Robert Lewandowski's 30 strikes in Germany, and Edin Dzeko's 29 markers in Serie A.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who also won the Golden Shoe on four different occasions, finished 11th in the race with 25 goals.
No one in Spain could challenge Messi for the honour. His nearest rival was Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez, who bulged the net just 29 times.
The Argentine last topped the scoring chart in 2012-13, when he potted 46 goals en route to his sixth of eight La Liga titles.
HEADLINES
- Roma ruin Cannavaro's Serie A coaching debut in resumption of Udinese game
- Atalanta seal place in Italian Cup final with dramatic win over Fiorentina
- Late Milik goal sinks Lazio, sends Juve to Coppa Italia final
- Why off-field uncertainty troubles Inter despite on-pitch brilliance
- Roma's Ndicka allowed to train after collapse
Advertisement