By winning a thrilling game against Levante UD, FC Barcelona managed to secure their 26th La Liga title with the help of five-time-Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi. The Argentinian international scored the only goal in a shot through the Levante defenders after coming off the bench. To add on to this accomplishment, this La Liga triumph also marked Messi’s 10th league title since his first one back in 2005 at the meager age of 17. As a result, the 31-year-old has become the first player in club history to win the title this many times. Furthermore, the goal that led Barca to this accomplishment remarks Messi’s 597th La Liga goal as the Spanish club celebrates winning one out of the three potential titles that they could win this year.
Meanwhile, in the Serie A, similar situations bring more achievements for Messi’s rival. On top of having helped Juventus secure their 35th league crown and the 8th one in a row, the also five-time-Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo scored his 600th club goal by netting an assist from Pjanic resulting in a tie against Inter Milan. This also marks his 20th goal this Serie A season as one of the top scorers in all of Serie A as well as Juventus. During his journey across various clubs, Ronaldo has scored 5 goals for Sporting CP, 118 goals for Manchester United, and 27 goals for Juventus. Nonetheless, the bulk of his goals measuring up to 450 were scored with Real Madrid.
As Ronaldo and Messi compete for the top of the soccer world, new contenders rise up elsewhere. Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk was named EPL 2019 Player of the Year over other contenders for the crown such as Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and Bernardo Silva as well as Sadio Mane from Liverpool and Eden Hazard from Chelsea. Having been signed for a world-record fee for a defender, van Dijk has established the tough defense that has destroyed their 29-year title duck and has allowed them to rise up to the top of the standings and become strong Premier League title challengers. As a result, he became the first defender to win the title on April 28th.
As the season comes closer to its conclusion, many players have risen up above others whose performances stand out from the rest. Just as the transfer window reopens in the summer, these players are sure to be the center of attention.
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