Lionel Messi leaves Cristiano Ronaldo in shade with ninth double of the season
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Cristiano Ronaldo may never be the darling of Spain but his great rival Lionel Messi remains ever-popular and demonstrated why again at the weekend.
The Argentine grabbed his ninth double of the season in Barcelona's 3-1 victory over Real Zaragoza on Saturday to keep the club six points clear at the top of La Liga.
He has now scored 12 in his last eight matches while equalling Brazilian legend Pele's record of 66 club goals in a calendar year. He sits eight behind German striker Gerd Muller's 1972 total of 85 goals (club and country) in a single year.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo hit a rare fallow period, failing to register as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 5-1 – a third blank in four.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments