Messi Odds-On Favorite at -150 to Win La Liga Top Goalscorer in 2020/21 Season

• Despite all the drama surrounding Lionel Messi at Barcelona, he enters the La Liga season as the favorite to be the top scorer with -150 odds
• The Argentine led Spain’s top-flight last year with 25 goals to his name
• Is he a safe bet to win another Pichichi Trophy or does Karim Benzema or teammate Antoine Griezmann offer value? Get the odds and best bet below

To Barcelona’s liking, Leo Messi will be staying after being linked with a move away from his boyhood club. A 700 million euro release clause proved to be far too expensive for any team, even though Manchester City were willing to pay him that amount across five seasons. But in the end, the Catalan legend will be front and center once again for the European giants as he looks to guide them to a trophy-filled season, with the new campaign just over a week away.

La Liga 2020/21 Top Scorer Odds

Odds taken September 8th

By no surprise, Messi is favored to finish as the top scorer once again in Spain. He’s currently the league’s all-time leading goal-getter, bagging 444 goals in his Barca career.  He’s also won the Golden Boot in La Liga in four consecutive seasons and seven times in total.

Lionel Messi has returned to training with Barcelona for the first time since the fallout with the club over his future.

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 7, 2020

Can Messi Get Back to His Brilliance?

Overall, last season was one to forget for Barcelona. They captured zero trophies after falling out of form after the hiatus, ultimately losing the La Liga title to Real Madrid. Champions League was their last shot at glory, but the Spanish giants were humiliated in a one-leg quarterfinal tie against eventual champions Bayern Munich, suffering an 8-2 defeat.

Although Messi won the scoring title last season, 25 goals was his worst campaign from a statistical standpoint since 2008/09. Frankly, no one is Spain’s top-flight was fantastic in the final third last year. Although the 33-year old is slightly unhappy at Barca, I think as new manager Ronald Koeman starts to change the philosophies at Camp Nou, Messi will start to find pleasure in playing for this club again.

Even with him aging, he’s more than capable of bagging 30 or more goals domestically. Just two seasons ago, he fired home 36 goals. Even the best in the world go through dry spells sometimes. Barca was in absolute shambles just a number of months ago and he wasn’t necessarily getting a ton of service either.

In the end, Messi is a world-class talent and one of the best to ever step on a football pitch. He’s a true professional and even if he’s not ecstatic about playing for Barcelona, Messi will continue to play at the highest level possible. That’s what the greatest talents do, no matter the circumstances.

Benzema Coming Off Impressive Season

When Cristiano Ronaldo was a Real Madrid player, Karim Benzema was often overshadowed by the Portuguese star. But, once he left for Turin, the Frenchman has now become Zinedine Zidane’s most productive attacker at the Bernabeu.

Last season, he netted 21 times and scored ten goals in his first 12 domestic appearances for Los Blancos. Benzema isn’t young by any means either at 32-years old, but he’s still a clinical number nine who is heavily relied upon for Madrid. He’s definitely a player who has the potential to give Messi a run for his money in regards to the scoring title in Spain.

Best Bet

Personally, I believe the Pichichi Trophy will come down to Benzema and Messi. Antoine Griezmann was disappointing in his first season with Barca, scoring just nine goals. I don’t see him as a threat to these two. Even with the turmoil that Messi just went through with the Catalan side, he’s still the safest bet to lead Spain in goals. Benzema will have another fine season, but it won’t be enough. The Argentine legend will win his eighth La Liga scoring title and fifth in a row.

Pick: Lionel Messi -150