Messi takes Golden Shoe with record tally

With a record 50 goals, Lionel Messi has finished the 2011/12 season with his second ESM Golden Shoe.

The FC Barcelona forward, previously the winner in 2009/10 with 34 strikes, finished four goals clear of his closest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who hit 50. The Real Madrid CF attacker actually scored six more goals than when earning the award last season but finished second-best owing to Messi's record tally for a Golden Shoe winner.

Messi's total came from 37 Liga appearances, one as a substitute, and included six hat-tricks and two four-goal hauls. It is a further measure of the high standard this season that the players ranked third to sixth – Robin van Persie, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Wayne Rooney – also recorded their highest-ever tallies for a league campaign.

ESM Golden Shoe standings: 7 May 2012*
1. Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) 50 x 2 = 100
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF) 46 x 2 = 92
3. Robin van Persie (Arsenal FC) 30 x 2 = 60
4. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (FC Schalke 04) 29 x 2 = 58
5. Zlatan Ibrahimović (AC Milan) 28 x 2 = 56
6. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United FC) 27 x 2 = 54
7. Mario Gomez (FC Bayern München) 26 x 2 = 52
8. Bas Dost (sc Heerenveen) 32 x 1.5 = 48
8= Falcao (Club Atlético de Madrid) 24 x 2 = 48
8= Diego Milito (FC Internazionale Milano) 24 x 2 = 48
8= Burak Yilmaz (Trabzonspor AŞ) 32 x 1.5 = 48

*Play-offs not included

Rules
Only the leading five countries – Spain, Italy, Germany, France and England – in the UEFA rankings have two as their multiplier. This is to emphasise the difference in (international) performance level between clubs from those countries and those of other nations.

A player cannot play first in a summer league (e.g. Norway) and then in a winter league (e.g. Spain) and combine the points totals for each season.