5 storylines to watch for as Europe's top leagues get underway

5 storylines to watch for as Europe’s top leagues get underway

MUNICH, GERMANY - APRIL 06: Marco Reus of Borussia Dortmund and Joshua Kimmich of FC Bayern Muenchen battle for the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and Borussia Dortmund at Allianz Arena on April 6, 2019 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

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SEVILLA, SPAIN – MAY 25: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona during the Spanish Copa del Rey match between FC Barcelona v Valencia at the Benito Villamarin Stadium on May 25, 2019 in Sevillia Spain (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images) /

Will Lionel Messi be replaced as the continent’s top scorer?

Following another failure with Argentina at the Copa America this summer, Lionel Messi returns to Barcelona hoping to do better than last season. While Barca did win La Liga, they failed to capture the Champions League, the only trophy that really matters to the big clubs, and the season was generally viewed as a failure.

For Messi, however, the season was largely seen as a personal success. Now 32, Messi had one of the best seasons of his career. The five-time Balon d’Or winner recorded 36 goals in 34 league matches to finish as the Spanish league’s top scorer. He also had 15 assists.

Those numbers were also good enough to be the best scorer of any league in Europe last season. Across all competitions, Messi tallied 51 goals in 50 games over the course of over 4,000 minutes played, an astounding goals-per-game average even for someone of his fame and reputation.

Maintaining that form won’t be easy. Nonetheless, the Argentine star has proven to be a reliable goal scorer and a player who can always find the back of the net regardless of the opponent.

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