Ronaldo v Messi: Who Will Win the Battle for the Pichichi?
LONDON, May 4, 2012/PRNewswire/ --
With Real Madrid securing their first Primera Division title amid joyous scenes in the
Basque Country, the focus now turns to the individual battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and
Lionel Messi to finish top scorer, with the Argentine the odds-on favourite to wrest the
trophy back from his rival with two games to go.
Real Madrid wrapped up their first La Liga title in four years on Wednesday evening
with a 3-0 win at Athletic Bilbao and as their shirt sponsors, bwin extends its heartiest
congratulations to Jose Mourinho's men for their stunning achievement.
But while Los Blancos fans celebrate a richly deserved success, you can bet that the
thoughts of star man Cristiano Ronaldo will be quickly turning to overhauling Barcelona's
Lionel Messi to finish as the division's top scorer.
Regardless of where you stand on the eternal Ronaldo v Messi debate, watching the two
greatest players on the planet battling for goalscoring supremacy in recent seasons has
been a rare privilege.
And with Messi currently leading the race for the 'Pichichi' with a jaw-dropping 48
goals to Ronaldo's 46, the Portuguese star's ego will be hurting, even though he probably
wouldn't admit it at such a joyous moment in his Real career.
With just two games remaining, bwin make Ronaldo the 3/2 outsider to win Spain's
version of the golden boot for the second time in a row, having set what was then a record
with 41 goals last term.
And judging by his shoot-on-sight policy at San Mames - he scored a header but also
missed his second penalty in a row - the former Manchester United man still reckons he can
surpass Messi's final total.
Messi, whose hat-trick in Barca's 4-1 win over Malaga saw him beat Gerd Muller's
all-time record for goals in one season in Europe - he has now fired a staggering 68 in
all competitions - is the 1/2 favourite with bwin to hold off Ronaldo's challenge.
With a Catalan derby against Espanyol at Camp Nou and a visit to Real Betis to come on
the final day, the little Argentine genius will no doubt have plenty of backing in this
market.
Bwin is offering a completely free GBP50 bet to anyone who can correctly guess the
time of the first goal in the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool, while also
pricing England at an industry-leading 12/1 to win Euro 2012.
Notes to editors
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