Lionel Messi hat-trick takes him level with Cristiano Ronaldo in ESM Golden Shoe standings

Not so long ago there was talk oF Cristiano Ronaldo smashing Lionel Messi’s Spanish League goalscoring record this season. At the time the Real Madrid man was averaging 1.5 goals per game and was on course to break the mark of 50 goals set by Messi in the 2011-12 season.

Now, as we enter the final third of the season, the goals have dried up for Ronaldo, while for Messi, his hat-trick in the 6-1 win over Rayo Vallecano was his 32nd in Spanish football – a record – and took him to 30 goals for the current season, level with his great rival.

Elsewhere in the top ten, Alexandre Lacazette was back among the goals, scoring twice in Lyon’s 5-1 win at Montpelier. Jackson Martinez was also on the scoresheet, notching the only goal of the game in Porto’s 1-0 away win at Sporting Braga.

POS PLAYER TEAM GOALS FACTOR PTS

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 30 x 2 = 60
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 30 x 2 = 60
3. Evgeni Kabaev (Sillamäe Kalev) 36 x 1 = 36
Alexander Meier (Eintracht Frankfurt) 18 x 2 = 36
5. Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon) 23 x 1,5 = 34,5
6. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) 17 x 2 = 34
Diego Costa (Chelsea) 17 x 2 = 34
Jackson Martinez (FC Porto) 17 x 2 = 34
‘Neymar’ da Silva (Barcelona) 17 x 2 = 34
Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich) 17 x 2 = 34
11. Andrej Kramaric (HNK Rijeka/Leicester City) 21 x 1,5 + 1 x 2 = 33,5
12. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) 16 x 2 = 32
Igor Subbotin (Levadia Tallinn) 32 x 1 = 32
14. Jonatan Soriano (Red Bull Salzburg) 21 x 1,5 = 31,5
15. Charlie Austin (Queens Park Rangers) 15 x 2 = 30
Mauro Icardi (Internazionale) 15 x 2 = 30
Fabrice Kouadio ‘Manucho’ (FC Infonet) 30 x 1 = 30
Carlos Tevez (Juventus) 15 x 2 = 30
Eran Zahavi (Maccabi Tel Aviv) 20 x 1,5 = 30
20. Carlos Bacca (Sevilla) 14 x 2 = 28
Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid) 14 x 2 = 28
Vladislavs Gutkovskis (Skonto Riga) 28 x 1 = 28
23. Alberto Bueno (Rayo Vallecano) 13 x 2 = 26
Bas Dost (Wolfsburg) 13 x 2 = 26
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) 13 x 2 = 26
Gonzalo Higuaín (Napoli) 13 x 2 = 26
Jérémy Menez (Milan) 13 x 2 = 26
Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) 13 x 2 = 26
29. Vidar Örn Kjartansson (Valerenga IF) 25 x 1 = 25
Chris Venables (Aberystwyth Town) 25 x 1 = 25
31. Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion) 12 x 2 = 24
Robert Beric (Rapid Vienna) 16 x 1,5 = 24
Memphis Depay (PSV) 16 x 1,5 = 24
Paulo Dybala (Palermo) 12 x 2 = 24
Shkelzen Gashi (Basel) 16 x 1,5 = 24
André-Pierre Gignac (Marseille) 16 x 1,5 = 24
Rodrigo José ‘Lima’ dos Santos (Benfica) 12 x 2 = 24
Mario Mandzukic (Atlético Madrid) 12 x 2 = 24
Franco di Santo (Werder Bremen) 12 x 2 = 24
Edison Luis dos Santos ‘Tarabai’ (Hibernian) 24 x 1 = 24
Luciano Víetto (Villarreal) 12 x 2 = 24
42. Joe Gormley (Cliftonville) 23 x 1 = 23
Janis Ikaunieks (Metalurgs Liepajas) 23 x 1 = 23
Lasse Vibe (IFK Göteborg) 23 x 1 = 23