With El Clasico due on Sunday, football fans are gearing up for another interesting clash between Spain’s top two teams. Barcelona will be the host in this fixture, hosting Real Madrid a week after winning the Spanish Primera Division.
While this tie is usually seen as a battle between Messi and Cristiano to see who can score more, the same cannot be said for the upcoming encounter. The Portuguese star has been rested in the Spanish top-flight whenever possible to focus on the Champions League, leaving him way behind the Argentine in the Pichichi race.
Leo’s biggest competition is, instead, himself – the Messi of previous seasons. While the 30-year-old continues to score goals and is one of, if not the, best players in the world, his goals tally have been decreasing as of late.
Gone are the days when the five-time Ballon d’Or winner used to score 40+ goals in La Liga, something understandable given his age and altered approach. However, compare him to last season and you will realize he is five goals short of the 2016/17 tally which won him the Golden Boot.
Of course, the season is not yet over. Including El Clasico, La Pulga has four games to score six goals to beat last season’s record or eight to reach the 40-goal mark for the first time since 14/15. For that to happen, however, Messi must overcome his recent Camp Nou hoodoo.
He scored once in the 3-0 victory over Los Blancos earlier this season and netted twice in the dramatic 3-2 Bernabeu triumph last season, but it has been a while since Leo found the back of the net in a home Clasico tie. In Los Merengues last four visits in the league, the Blaugrana icon has not scored once which is his longest goalscoring drought against the 12-time Champions League winner.
But then again, this is Messi we are talking about. While scoring two or even three past Zidane’s men is difficult, nothing is impossible for the Argentine. Only time will tell if he will tear apart Real Madrid and surpass his goalscoring tally from the recent seasons.
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