Who is La Liga's all-time top scorer?

Lionel Messi is La Liga’s all-time top scorer, with 474 goals for Barcelona.

Messi scored all of his La Liga goals for Barcelona between 2004 and 2021. He surpassed Athletic Bilbao legend Telmo Zarra, who had held the league record for roughly six decades, in 2014. Messi’s total remains well ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 311 league goals for Real Madrid.

His record was built through extraordinary consistency as well as peak scoring seasons. Messi scored 50 goals in the 2011–12 La Liga campaign, the competition’s single-season record. He also won the Pichichi Trophy, awarded to the league’s leading scorer, eight times—more than any other player.

The record refers specifically to goals in Spain’s top division, not goals in every competition. Messi scored many more goals for Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League, and other tournaments, but those totals are not included in the La Liga ranking. Telmo Zarra remains second among the historic scoring leaders, with 251 goals.