Top 5 players apart form Messi and Ronaldo who can break the 30-goal barrier in the 2015/16 season

The Premier League is up and underway already and the other major leagues will soon follow suit. European competitions started way back in July with the playoffs and Super Cups in the various leagues have already been done and dusted.Barcelona have secured their first trophy of the season by defeating Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup and their superstar Lionel Messi is already underway with two goals for the season. The Argentine added a third to his tally when La Liga champions lost to Athletic Bilbao in the two-legged Spanish Super Cup 5-1.His alter ego Cristiano Ronaldo will be eager to kickstart his campaign with the La Liga which begins on August 22, but will have some catching up to do by then. But one can definitely count upon the Portuguese skipper to be on the mark from the word ‘go’.Ronaldo has scored 50 goals and more in the past five seasons and it will take a brave man to bet his money against the 30-year-old repeating that feat in the 2015/16 campaign. The same goes for Messi as well. The only time he failed to cross the 50-goal mark was the injury ravaged 2013/14 season. Even then he managed a more than decent return of 41 goals.So it’s no wonder that the pair have shared the last seven Ballon d’Or titles between them and in all likelihood will do battle yet again for the year 2015 as well. There’s no denying that the remarkable form of these two football greats have overshadowed other lethal goalscorers in the modern game. 50 goals for the season is inhuman – let’s leave that for Messi and Ronaldo; but who are the others that can shine for their team and score at least 30 goals across all competitions in the 2015/16 season.Here we take a look at the Top 5 contenders and with the amount of goals that Messi and Ronaldo set up for their teammates, don’t be surprised to find a few Barcelona and Real Madrid players in the lsit.

#1 Luis Suarez

Suarez is one of the most lethal finishers in the modern game

 

Who better to start off than the Uruguayan, Luis Suarez, who joined Messi and Ronaldo recently in being shortlisted for the UEFA European Player of the Year award. The 28-year-old is one of football's most lethal finishers at present and equally one of the most divisive figures in the game.

Controversies have followed Suarez throughout his career, but there's no denying his supreme talent. The footballing world began to take notice of the South American after his exploits in the 2008/09 season where he scored a remarkable 49 goals from 48 games playing for Dutch side Ajax. He followed it a fine showing at the 2010 World Cup, but the tournament ended in controversial circumstances for Suarez however as he handled a goalbound header from a Ghanian player thus paving the way for Uruguay to reach the semi-finals. 

 

Liverpool signed Suarez during the 2010/11 winter transfer window and though the forward took some time to settle into the rhythm of the English game, he soon became an Anfield fan favourite. He scored in excess of 30 goals during his final two years with the Merseyside club and that is in spite of missing some games due to the ban he picked up for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic during a league game. 

 

Suarez had the same issue after he moved to Barcelona. He picked up a four-month ban from footballing activities for biting Italy's Giorgio Chillieni during the 2014 World Cup which meant Suarez couldn't feature for his new club until late October. Yet again he took some time to get used to his new surroundings with his first goal for the Catalan club coming one month later. 

 

However, he finished the season with 25 goals in 43 appearances and with Barcelona almost certain to feature in the latter stages of all competitions they compete in, Suarez will plenty of have chances to score plenty more. Like Messi, Suarez also opened his account for the 2015/16 season with a goal in the UEFA Super Cup and a look at his career trajectory proves that he's only getting better.

 

 

Season	Club	Matches	Goals
2010/11	Ajax Liverpool	24 13	12 4
2011/12	Liverpool	39	17
2012/13	Liverpool	44	30
2013/14	Liverpool	37	31
2014/15	Barcelona	43	25