Top 5 La Liga Scorers Since Lionel Messi Debut: Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. His silky dribbles, awe-inspiring moves, and an innate ability to create and score goals put him at the top of the list of the GOATs for many people.
Since making his top-class debut in 2004, the Argentine striker has won everything there is to win for club and country. Has had enough individual and team gold to rival any treasure fleet, and has influenced millions worldwide with his footballing ability, which is second to none.
It has been over 20 years since Messi made his debut for the FC Barcelona senior team, which took place on October 16, 2004, at the age of 17 against Espanyol. He then spent 17 years of his life playing for the Blaugrana, becoming the greatest player in the club’s long and storied history.
There have been over a thousand goal scorers in La Liga since the 2004/05 season. But today, we will look at the players who have scored the most since the Argentine great’s debut.
Here are the top 5 La Liga scorers since Lionel Messi debut –
Top 5 La Liga Scorers Since Lionel Messi Debut
5) Luis Suárez – 178 goals
Luis Suárez was one of the most lethal strikers in the world in the 2010s, known for his massive goal-scoring output and his ability to create a goal from small chances. The Uruguayan spent the majority of his peak playing for Barcelona in La Liga, forming the indomitable attacking trio MSN alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr.
Suárez played 258 La Liga matches. He played six seasons from 2014 to 2020 for Barca, and then spent a couple of seasons with Atlético Madrid, winning everything there is to win on the club level at this time. In those 258 La Liga matches, he scored 178 goals and was considered one of the best footballers in the world during his time in the Spanish top-flight. Naturally, all those goals came after the 2004/05 season.
4) Antoine Griezmann – 198 goals
Antoine Griezmann, for a time in the latter half of the 2010s, threatened to challenge the football status quo and enter the conversation of the greatest European players of all time. While he did not live up to that promise, Griezmann still ended up being one of the greatest La Liga players of the 21st century and probably the greatest Atlético Madrid player of all time.
The Frenchman started his senior career with Real Sociedad in 2009, but did not gain prominence till his transfer to Atlético Madrid in 2014. He then moved to Barcelona on a record transfer in 2019, returned to Atlético in 2021 on loan, and made the permanent move to the Spanish capital in 2022. In all that time, he played 530 La Liga matches, the most on this list, and scored 198 goals. All these goals came from 2009 to now, which is after the 2004/05 season.
Check Out: Top 5 La Liga Scorers Since Lionel Messi Debut
3) Karim Benzema – 238 goals
A 22-year-old Karim Benzema was bought by Real Madrid after promising performances in the French league. And while his transfer was an afterthought in an otherwise stacked transfer window for Los Blancos, Benzema would go on to become one of the greatest players for the club, an absolute legend, and among the greatest pure strikers the sport has ever seen.
The French striker played for the Madridistas from 2009 to 2023. In that time, he won everything there is to win, including a Ballon d’Or in 2022. He also played 439 La Liga matches and scored 238 goals in the competition. And obviously, all these goals were scored after Messi’s 2004 debut.
2) Cristiano Ronaldo – 311 goals
One of the two greatest players in this generation and considered by many to be the absolute GOAT, Cristiano Ronaldo has dominated global football since his debut in 2002. And unlike other great players who have played the majority of their career at a single club, Ronaldo has been a goal-scoring and trophy-winning machine in multiple leagues and several clubs, becoming a club legend at all the clubs he has played for.
The Portuguese legend arrived at Real Madrid in 2009, in the same transfer window as Karim Benzema. From the time he stepped into the Spanish capital, Ronaldo took over the team, the league, and club football in general. From his debut to the end of his time with Real Madrid and La Liga in 2018, Cristiano played 292 games in the Spanish top-flight and scored 311 goals, the only player to have a goal-to-match ratio higher than one in this list. He is also the second-highest goal scorer in the history of this league. And with him making his La Liga debut after Messi, all these goals came after the Argentine’s debut
1) Lionel Messi – 474 goals
Lionel Messi is the highest goal scorer in La Liga history. That should be highlighted, seeing that Luis Suarez, who is fifth on this list, is only the 17th highest goal scorer in league history. Messi might just be the greatest player in the history of this competition. The history of Argentine football and the greatest in the history of this sport.
While we have already sung praises of Messi’s greatness earlier in this piece, it must be reiterated that he is the greatest player in the history of FC Barcelona, and arguably La Liga as a whole. He made his debut for the Catalan club in 2004 and was a fixture of the team till his unexpected departure in 2021.
In all that time, Lionel played 520 matches for the Blaugrana and scored a staggering 474 goals, by far the most in league history. It is unlikely that this record will be broken in the coming years or even decades.
Check Out: Top 5 La Liga Scorers Since Lionel Messi Debut
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