Benzema Now Second-Favorite to Messi to Win La Liga’s Pichichi Trophy

• Real Madrid Marksman Karim Benzema has bagged a league-leading ten goals this term
• Messi trails him by just one tally with nine goals to his name
• Get the odds for the Pichichi Trophy below

Surprisingly, Lionel Messi isn’t Spain’s leading scorer currently. That honor belongs to Karim Benzema, the 31-year old in-form Frenchman who has been absolutely on fire in the final third this season for Zinedine Zidane’s side. He’s scored ten times in 12 appearances in La Liga, while also netting four goals in Champions League competition, raising his total to 14 goals in just 17 appearances across all competitions.

In the summer, Messi led the Pichichi Trophy odds at -175. He’s now seen a slight adjustment to -200, but still sits ahead of Benzema. The French striker had +1000 odds before this season began, but thanks to his breathtaking start to the campaign, he’s lowered his odds to +225.

2019-20 Pichichi Trophy Odds

Odds taken Dec 3

Benzema Having a Season for the Ages

At 31-years old, Karim Benzema is showing no signs of aging. His form this season for Madrid has been remarkable, proving to be Zidane’s most reliable goal-scorer. He’s started 69 of Madrid’s last 70 matches dating back to last season, solidifying himself as their primary number nine each and every matchday. Benzema scored 21 goals in domestic play last season in 36 appearances, but at the rate he’s finding the net this term, he could definitely surpass that total by the season’s end.

Since Ronaldo left the Bernabeu, Benzema has had a lot more freedom in the final third and has also been given the chance to steal the spotlight, just as Cristiano did while he was in Madrid. The Frenchman is taking full advantage of the opportunities he’s received. Can he net more goals than Messi this season? That remains to be seen. But there is no doubting that his current form could be the best of his career.

Messi Fresh Off Ballon d’Or

For the sixth time in his illustrious career, Leo Messi was named the best player in the world by the French Football Federation on Monday, beating out Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi has once again been in fine form this season, scoring nine times in just nine matches in La Liga play, while also tallying five assists. He’s also found the net twice in UCL competition.

By now you 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 know that Leo #Messi has picked up some 🆕 hardware — his RECORD sixth #BallonDor#GOATisCuler pic.twitter.com/7cCuVjPTmg

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 3, 2019

The 32-year old missed time at the beginning of the year with a calf injury, but it hasn’t looked to slow him down at all. As soon as Messi returned to the pitch, he was his normal self, scoring goals at a high rate and setting them up just as often.

Messi is Best Bet

Although Benzema has looked fantastic this year, Messi is still the best bet to be the leading goal-scorer in La Liga this season. His nine goals in as many games shows his brilliance and if he stays healthy, it’s hard to imagine that the Argentinian won’t be awarded the Pichichi Trophy.

Pick: Messi -200