Earlyface

The Portuguese and the Argentine are the only two players to have netted 50 or more goals in a
Spanish season - and they have now done so in each of the last three campaigns Apr 15, 2013 9:00:00 AM COMMENT By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Writer The numbers speak for themselves. Cristiano Ronaldo's solo
show for Real Madrid in the capital club's 3-0 win at Athletic
Bilbao on Sunday saw the Portuguese take his tally for
2012-13 to 50 goals, emulating a feat already achieved by
Lionel Messi in the current campaign. The pair are the only
two players to have reached a half century of strikes in a Spanish season - and they have now managed it for the
last three terms. Messi was absent as Barcelona beat Zaragoza 3-0 at La Romareda. The Argentine attacker has still not recovered from the hamstring strain he picked up in the
first leg of the Catalans' quarter-final tie against Paris Saint-Germain recently and was not included in the
squad for Sunday's game. But he already has 57 goals in 2012-13 (from just 46 games for Barcelona) and Ronaldo reached his
latest landmark on Sunday, too, as Madrid swept aside Athletic Bilbao in the teams' last-ever fixture at
the old San Mames stadium, with a new adjacent ground set to be unveiled for next season by the
Basque oufit. Ronaldo opened the scoring with the second-fastest
strike of his career, a free kick in the 71st second of
the game which he had only bettered with a goal
after just 45 against Xerez in 2009. That knocked some of the stuffing out of a spirited
Athletic side and the Portuguese finished off the
Basques' hopes with a brilliant second-half header to
make it 50 goals in 2012-13 (in 48 games). Messi and Ronaldo ended the 2011-12 season tied on
53 goals apiece (Leo in 55 games; Cristiano in 54). The
Argentine then smashed Gerd Muller's record of 67 in a
single season as he struck 73 last season (in just 60
matches), while the Portuguese also improved his tally
from the previous campaign to end 2011-12 with 60 strikes (from 55 games). In the current campaign, Messi now has 57, with
seven fixtures remaining in La Liga, plus at least two
(and possibly three) games left in the Champions
League. And like Barca, Madrid are also in the last four
of the Champions League, meaning Ronaldo has up to 10 games left in those two competitions, plus the
final of the Copa del Rey next month, in which Real face city rivals Atletico at the Santiago Bernabeu.