Luis Suarez: How Barcelona forward ended Messi and Ronaldo's dominance of Spain's scoring charts
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ByEurosport
Updated 14/05/2016 at 18:11 GMT
Luis Suarez ends the season as Liga's leading scorer with 40 goals, the first time since 2009 either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo has not topped the charts.
Barcelona's Luis Suarez (L) celebrates his third goal with team mate Neymar.
Image credit: Eurosport
Suarez became Barcelona's highest scoring Uruguayan with a hat-trick in the 3-0 Liga win at Granada, having equalled in only two seasons what compatriot Ramon Alberto Villaverde Vazquez aggregated in his decade-long stint with the club.
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Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Image credit: Eurosport
With 40 goals scored so far, five more than Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored twice in a 2-0 win at Deportivo, Suarez clinched the Pichichi award as the top scorer in La Liga in a match that sees Barca lift back-to-back titles.
Since the 2008-2009 season, when Diego Forlan won it for Atletico Madrid, the award has gone to either Ronaldo or Messi.
LIGA'S TOP GOALSCORERS 2015/16
- Luis Suarez (Barcelona) 40
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 35
- Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 26
- Neymar (Barcelona) 24
- Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) 24
- Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) 21
- Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) 19
- Aduriz (Athletic Bilbao) 18
- Ruben Castro (Real Betis) 18
- Lucas Perez (Deportivo La Coruna) 17
Suarez's double against Espanyol in Barca's 5-0 triumph last Sunday saw him reach 81 goals for the Catalans to equal the record of Villaverde Vazquez who had joined the club in 1954 and played 10 seasons, scoring 81 goals in 224 games.
Another three carries him to 84 before they meet Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final next Sunday.
In only his second season at Barcelona, Suarez has struck 53 goals to help the team remain in contention for a domestic double, overtaking his previous record of 49 for Ajax in the 2009-2010 campaign.
LIGA'S TOP GOALSCORERS SINCE 2006
- 2005–06 Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona & Cameroon) 26 goals from 34 games
- 2006–07 Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid & Netherlands) 25 goals from 37 games
- 2007–08 Daniel Güiza (Real Mallorca & Spain) 27 goals from 37 games
- 2008–09 Diego Forlán (Atletico Madrid & Uruguay) 32 goals from 33 games
- 2009–10 Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina) 34 goals from 35 games
- 2010–11 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal) 40 goals from 34 games
- 2011–12 Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina) 50 goals from 37 games
- 2012–13 Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina) 46 goals from 32 games
- 2013–14 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal) 31 goals from 30 games
- 2014–15 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal) 48 goals from 35 games
- 2015-16 Luis Suarez (Barcelona & Uruguay) 40 goals from 35 games
"He is very intelligent," Barca coach Luis Enrique said on the club website.
"Sometimes relying too much on one player can hurt you, but if the team plays its game, Luis - who is lethal in the area - will have plenty of chances to score goals. It's not just the goals, it's the way the team plays that lets him score."
More goals are expected from Suarez, who has found the back of the net in five successive league games, netting 14 goals while setting up four more in that spell.
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Diego Forland was the last man outside of Messi and Ronaldo to top Liga charts.
Image credit: Reuters
KEY NUMBERS
- Suarez (40) has scored more league goals this season than Real Betis, Espanyol, Levante and Getafe
- Suarez has scored 14 goals in his last four league games for Barcelona
- Suarez for Barcelona at the Camp Nou (2014-now): 47 appearances 48 goals 24 assists
- Suarez has now scored 57 goals for club and country this season, two more than in 2009-10 (55 for Ajax & Uruguay)
Stats taken from Suarez Stats and Squawka
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