Messi makes history again, bags record 7th Pichichi in LaLiga after brace vs Alaves

Despite being dethroned by arch-rivals Real Madrid in LaLiga, Barcelona ensured a scintillating end to the campaign against Alaves, netting five, while conceding none. Lionel Messi bagged a brace to take his LaLiga goal tally to 25 goals, while also sealing the Pichichi trophy ahead of second-placed Karim Benzema. With the accolade for the 2019-20 season, the Argentina international has now become the player with the most Pichichi trophies in the history of the Spanish competition.

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Messi wins record seventh Pichichi 

The Pichichi trophy is awarded to the LaLiga top scorer at the end of the season. With 25 goals in 33 LaLiga appearances, Messi won his fourth consecutive Pichichi, along with a record seventh in his career. With the accolade, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner also overtakes Athletic club Bilbao’s top scorer Telmo Zarra, who won six Pichichi trophies during his esteemed career.

Apart from finishing as the top scorer, Messi also bagged the most assists in the competition, for the third consecutive season. He also became the first player since Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry, to score and assist 20 goals each in a single league campaign. Meanwhile, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema finished second in the Pichichi race with 21 league goals this season.

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Messi fails to win third consecutive LaLiga title 

Messi finished off his 16th LaLiga season with Barcelona, managing a total of 485 appearances as yet. During this period, the 33-year-old broke several records to become the all-time LaLiga top goalscorer with 444 goals in all. However, he failed to clinch a third consecutive LaLiga title with Zinedine Zidane’s men going undefeated in the last 11 games to bag a record 34th domestic title.

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LaLiga standings

Real Madrid clinched the LaLiga title on Matchday 37 itself, with Barcelona losing out to 10-men Osasuna. However, with the victory against Alaves, Barcelona have now bagged 82 points and finish five points adrift of champions Real Madrid in the LaLiga standings. Now, Barcelona will come up against Napoli in the Champions League, with Los Blancos travelling to Etihad to play Manchester City. 

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Image courtesy: AP