FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi became the first player in Europe's top five leagues to score 20 goals this season, beating longstanding rival Cristiano Ronaldo to a European record along the way.
Read: Messi On Best Scoring Run Since 2013
The Argentine forward netted a brace in his side's 2-2 draw with Valencia on the weekend, which saw the Blaugrana come back from two goals down to salvage a draw.
Despite dropping two points, Barcelona actually extended their lead in LaLiga after second-placed Atletico Madrid lost 1-0 to Real Betis on Sunday.
Messi, meanwhile, has now scored 21 LaLiga goals in 2018/19, making him the leading marksman in Europe's top five leagues.
As such, the 31-year-old has reached the 20-goal mark for an 11th campaign running, becoming the first player in history to score at least 20 league goals in 11 successive seasons.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, sits on 17 strikes in Serie A. His brace against Parma on the weekend saw him climb to the top of the Capocannoniere race.
The Portuguese could also still reach 20 goals this season, but this would be only his 10th consecutive campaign of reaching the 20-goal mark.
Unlike Messi, Ronaldo did not score 20 league goals in 2008/09 – his final season at Manchester United – when he finished with 18 strikes.
| Season | Messi | Ronaldo |
| 2008/09 | 23 | 18 |
| 2009/10 | 34 | 26 |
| 2010/11 | 31 | 40 |
| 2011/12 | 50 | 46 |
| 2012/13 | 46 | 34 |
| 2013/14 | 28 | 31 |
| 2014/15 | 43 | 48 |
| 2015/16 | 26 | 35 |
| 2016/17 | 37 | 25 |
| 2017/18 | 34 | 26 |
| 2018/19 so far | 21 | 17 |
Read: CR7 Climbs To Top Of Serie A Chart, Juve Only Unbeaten Team In Europe
Do you think it's more difficult for Ronaldo to score in Serie A than it is for Messi in LaLiga? Have your say in the comments section below.
