Lionel Messi Best Season Statistics [new] -

The 50 La Liga goals remain the Everest of European football. Cristiano Ronaldo hit 48 the same season in a legendary arms race, but Messi got to 50. It is the equivalent of a baseball player hitting .400 or a basketball player averaging a triple-double for a season. It wasn't supposed to happen in modern, tactical football.

Yet, on the final day of the season against Malaga, with nothing left to play for but vanity, Messi scored his 50th. A simple tap-in. He didn’t rip his shirt off or roar. He jogged back to the center circle, pointed to the sky, and got on with it. lionel messi best season statistics

What is often buried in the "best season" query is the 32 assists. In 2011-12, Messi was simultaneously the best scorer on the planet and the best playmaker. The 50 La Liga goals remain the Everest of European football