Barcelona’s Lionel Messi Bags Sixth Pichichi Trophy, Closes in on European Golden Boot

Barcelona striker Lionel Messi on Sunday claimed a record-equalling sixth La Liga golden trophy. He is also on course to lift the European Golden Boot.

Lionel Messi claimed a record-equalling sixth Pichichi trophy — awarded to the League’s top-scorer — after Barcelona’s final La Liga (Spain’s top flight football league) outing on Sunday. In their last league match of the season where they faced minnows Eibar, newly-crowned champions Barcelona were held to a two-all draw as Messi netted a brace for the visitors.

The Argentine international has now won the league’s top-scorer award for the third time in a row, equalling the record for most wins for the trophy which was formerly set by Athletic Club’s Telmora Zarra, 66 years ago.

In the season 2018-19, the 32-year-old found the net 36 times, 15 goals more than second-placed colleague Luis Suarez and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.

🏆2017/2018: 34 goals ⚽ pic.twitter.com/quaNw4bvQ3

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 19, 2019

With Barcelona on course to seal a second consecutive domestic double ahead of their Copa Del Rey cup final against Valencia, Messi also has the opportunity to build-up on his tally for the coveted European Golden Boot, where he currently leads by four goals followed by Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe.

20-year-old Mbappe had piled the pressure on Messi by scoring a brace in PSG’s 4-0 hammering of Dijon in the French League and with one game left, he can still narrow the gap further. However, realistically it is set to be an imminent career-sixth European Golden Boot for the forward to wind up another glorious season.