Golden Shoe 2018-19: Top Goalscorers in Europe, Updated Points on February 4

Lionel Messi continued his remarkable goalscoring run as he netted both Barcelona goals in their 2-2 La Liga draw with Valencia on Saturday.

The Argentina international now has 21 goals for the season and leads the race for the 2018-19 European Golden Shoe having netted in each of his last eight appearances in the Spanish top flight.Cristiano Ronaldo also scored a double as Juventus drew 3-3 with Parma in Serie A to move on to 17 goals for the term and third in the Golden Shoe standings.Neither Edinson Cavani nor Kylian Mbappe were able to add to their tallies as Paris Saint-Germain suffered their first Ligue 1 defeat of the season to Lyon. 

Here are the latest Golden Shoe standings:

1. Lionel Messi, Barcelona: 21 x 2.0 difficulty factor = 42.0  

2. Kylian Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain: 18 x 2.0 = 36.0  

3. Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus: 17 x 2.0 = 34.0

4. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool: 16 x 2.0 = 32.0

5. Edinson Cavani, Paris Saint-Germain: 16 x 2.0 = 32.0

6. Fabio Quagliarella, Sampdoria: 16 x 2.0 = 32.0

7. Nicolas Pepe, Lille: 16 x 2.0 = 32.0

8. Liliu, Kalju: 31 goals x 1.0 = 31.0 points

9. Mbaye Diagne, Kasimpasa: 20 x 1.5 = 30.0

10. Zakaria Beglarishvili, Flora: 30 x 1.0 = 30.0

11. Paulinho, Hacken: 20 x 1.5 = 30.0

12. Luis Suarez, Barcelona: 15 x 2.0 = 30.0 

13. Duvan Zapata, Atalanta: 15 x 2.0 = 30.0

14. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal: 15 x 2.0 = 30.0

Rules: All European leagues are assigned a difficulty factor between one and two by UEFA, which is multiplied by a player's goal tally to calculate their points total.

For example, the Estonian Meistriliiga has a factor of just one, so Liliu's goals for Kalju are worth just one point each, whereas Messi's are worth double that because La Liga's factor is two.     

Valencia were 2-0 up inside 32 minutes at the Camp Nou on Saturday, and Barca were staring down the barrel of a first defeat in 10 games in the Spanish top flight.

However, Messi pulled one back from the penalty spot before the break and then curled home a sumptuous equaliser from outside the box soon after the hour.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's contribution this season has been remarkable, even by his incredible standards:

The 31-year-old is the first player in Europe's top five leagues to pass the 20-goal mark this term, and it is the 11th season on the bounce he has done so:

There was concern against Valencia when Messi required treatment on a thigh problem that will be further assessed on Monday, though he has said "the pain was lowering," per Sergi Capdevila of Sport.

Barca dropped points against Los Che but still made gains at the top of the La Liga table.

They are now six points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid, who lost to Real Betis on Sunday, and eight points clear of Real Madrid in third.

If Messi continues his remarkable run of goalscoring form, there seems little possibility any side will be able to stop them winning the title this term.

Perhaps the biggest threat to the South American winning a third consecutive Golden Shoe is Ronaldo.