Lionel Messi Wins 2016-17 Pichichi Trophy After 37 Goals in La Liga

Barcelona maestro Lionel Messi has clinched the fourth Pichichi Trophy of his career after topping La Liga's goalscoring charts for 2016-17 with an astonishing 37 goals.

Goal noted Messi as this season's top scorer in the Spanish top flight, which sees the Blaugrana talisman take the title from 2015-16 winner and Barca team-mate Luis Suarez.

Barcelona boast two of the top three scorers in La Liga this term as Suarez settled for second this time on 29 goals, while Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo sat third after netting 25 goals in his league campaign.

With a fourth Pichichi in hand, Messi also moves above three-time winner Ronaldo in trophies collected and ties level with Los Blancos legend Ferenc Puskas on four wins apiece.

The Argentinian has also distributed his goals fairly among Barca's opponents, scoring against all but one of La Liga's other 19 teams this season. Messi failed to score in the 1-0 win over Granada in October before missing the return fixture in April due to suspension.

As far as this record stands up against others, Messi has enjoyed only three more prolific campaigns than this season in La Liga, netting 50, 46 and 43 goals in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2014-15, respectively.

A fourth top-scorer accolade also brings the forward within sight of breaking the all-time Pichichi-winner record, with ex-Athletic Bilbao icon Telmo Zarra's tally of six awards now that much closer.

Messi's Pichichi-winning tally of 37 goals is the lowest total of any player to win the award since Ronaldo's haul of 31 was sufficient to claim it in 2013-14, a season in which he only played 30 league matches.