As La Liga enters its final game of the season, with all 20 sides playing their last match of this campaign on Saturday, and Barcelona set to officially be handed the title, the race for the Pichichi award reaches its climax.
As it stands, Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo is on track to claim the prize. The Portuguese ace currently leads the pack with 45 goals in the Spanish Primera Division. His closest challenger is Lionel Messi, who boasts 41 goals to his name after scoring the Liga BBVA-winning goal against Atletico Madrid, on Sunday.
A consolidation prize for the trophy-less season Ronaldo is experiencing, the 30-year-old will also clinch the European Golden Shoe should he beat La Pulga to the Liga BBVA top-scorer award, as no other striker across the European leagues come close to the two.
MARCA: The Pichichi Curse - When Ronaldo is top scorer he doesn't win the league. pic.twitter.com/a56u6yaYUA
— M.A.J (@UltraSuristic) May 18, 2015
But the question remains, with one game left to play, can Messi pull off the impossible and overtake Ronaldo in the top-scorer charts?
The Argentine superstar has scored some crucial goals over the current campaign, with his strike at the Vicente Calderon Stadium being the most vital of them all. In their final game, Barcelona will host Deportivo La Coruna, and the last time these two sides met, Lionel bagged a hat-trick en route to a 4-0 victory.
His track record against the Galician club is impressive. They are the second-highest club he has scored against outside of Camp Nou, with 9 goals in 5 appearances.
Most goals Messi for Barcelona outside Camp Nou (games): 12 | Real Madrid (17) 09 | Deportivo (5) 09 | ATLETICO (13)
— MESSISTATS (@MessiStats) May 18, 2015
However, one thing should be factored in, and that is Cristiano Ronaldo’s even far more impressive stats vs Getafe, Los Blancos’ opponents on Saturday. In their last four meetings, the three-time Ballon d’Or winner has failed to score against Getafe only once, whilst registering 7 goals against the Azulones since January 2013.
Cristiano in 2015
Cristiano Ronaldo in 2015 with Real Madrid: > Games: 28 > Goals: 26 > Assists: 10 > Hatricks: 2
— Real Madrid Stats (@RMadrid_Stats) May 18, 2015
In his last game, Ronaldo set a record by scoring a hat-trick vs Espanyol
With his hatrick last night, Cristiano Ronaldo set the record for most goals away from home in a single season by a RM player (30).
— Real Madrid Stats (@RMadrid_Stats) May 18, 2015
In Getafe’s last two trips to Santiago Bernabeu, the venue for this weekend’s La Liga tie, the former Manchester United winger scored five past Getafe.
CR7 has scored 7 goals in his last 4 games vs Getafe, five in his last two Santiago Bernabeu outings
Having scored five past Granada in a record-breaking 9-1 win, and recording a wonderful hat-trick in Real Madrid’s 3-2 win away to Sevilla just to name a few of his 45 goals, Cristiano has also scored 9 penalties, though his last spot kick attempt, saved by Valencia’s Diego Alves, all but handed the title to the Blaugrana.
Tied at all three in number of Pichichi wins, Ronaldo will not easily relinquish his grip on the award to Lionel Messi. Only 90 minutes separate the Portugal captain and the award, but Messi's still got one game to pull it all around.
All this makes for one exciting end to La Liga.
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