Luis Suarez Denies Barcelona Are Helping Lionel Messi to Beat Cristiano Ronaldo

Luis Suarez has dismissed rumours Barcelona's players are trying to help Lionel Messi win La Liga's top scorer award by providing him with assists.

German magazine kicker (translated by ESPN) suggested "an agreement" is in place that sees the Blaugrana players assist Messi to "ensure he finishes ahead of Ronaldo." Suarez denies this, however, noting he and his colleagues are drilled to work together to score goals, per ESPN:

"

That's a crazy idea (that Barca's players aim to prioritise Messi scoring). Messi told me after a few games: "I thought that you'd score and that's why I didn't move up the pitch." We apologise to each other when we have not passed the ball.

To be honest, attackers are selfish by nature, but when I see Messi, (Andres) Iniesta or Xavi in a better position, I pass the ball. And we don't need to talk about Neymar's class. 

Sometimes we should make use of our shared potential even more. All of us want to score goals, but in the end it does not matter for the team who scored the goal.

"

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Messi is currently one goal ahead of Ronaldo in the domestic charts, having netted 32. Diego Forlan was the last man aside from Messi or Ronaldo to win the award in 2006-07, when he also captured the Golden Shoe—given to Europe's leading domestic scorer—while playing for Atletico Madrid.

Neymar is the third highest scorer in La Liga this season but remains 15 behind Messi on 17. He and Suarez have accumulated 13 assists between them this campaign, per WhoScored.com, highlighting the natural sense of teamwork within the side. Barca have always been the type of side to lay on simple chances for each other due to their short-passing style.

Messi is currently leading the Golden Shoe race by two points, or one goal, over Ronaldo. Whoever finishes on top in La Liga is likely to take the continental prize, as Alexander Meier (Eintracht Frankfurt), Diego Costa (Chelsea) and Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) are the closest competitors to Messi. They are 13 goals behind, however.

ALVARO HERNANDEZ/Associated Press

Footballing legend Pele is often asked to differentiate between Messi and Ronaldo. He recently suggested he sides with the former, reported by Fernando Duarte of ESPN FC: "I like both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo but I don't think there is a fair comparison here. Messi has been the best player around for the last 10 years and he is a guy who is much more present in the game overall."

Messi is certainly the more prominent right now. He was 12 goals behind Ronaldo in La Liga's goalscoring charts before Christmas but has accelerated his game to take the initiative. Suarez and Barcelona have also settled into form, highlighted by their recent victory over Real and current position of being four points clear atop the table.

Luis Enrique's men are working excellently to bring each other into play, to carve open opportunities and make goalscoring a simple art. Messi has mastered this over the years, but he's always been aided by the quality distribution of others around him.

Alex Caparros/Getty Images

It's no different this season, which is likely to see Messi highlighted as Europe's most prolific marksman once again.