Leo Messi closing in on Ronaldo and Costa

Leo Messi is one of three main contenders for La Liga’s leading goalscorer trophy, known as the Pichichi. Despite missing seven games when he was out through injury (Malaga, Valladolid, Granada, Bilbao, Villarreal, Getafe and Elche), the Argentinian has made up for the lost ground and his 26 goals put him back up there with Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (28) and Atlético’s Diego Costa (27), when in January it didn’t look like he’d be a challenger for the honour this season.

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18 from 13

After starting 15 consecutive league games, Messi is still in fine form, with a massive haul of 18 goals from his last 13 appearances. With four league games left to play, it’s going to be a fascinating battle between the three most productive strikers in the championship. The trio are also among the leaders in the hunt for the European Golden Boot. The current leader is Uruguayan Luis Suárez of Liverpool, (30 goals, which count double and thus get him 60 points). The three Liga players are next on the list, namely Ronaldo (56 points), Costa (54) and Messi (52).

Ten to top Zarra

Messi is also closing rapidly in on Telmo Zarra, the Athletic Bilbao player of the 40s and 50s whose incredible total of 251 league goals was a record some people thought would never be beaten. But with 241 goals for Barça, it is surely just a matter of time before Leo Messi rewrites the history books yet again, if not this season then surely before the end of 2014.