Barcelona's Lionel Messi has been named as the best forward of the 2014-15 season at the La Liga awards, despite being beaten to the Pichichi by Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Sport English confirmed the news on Twitter:
Congratulations to Leo Messi, winner of the best forward of the season award! It turns out he was eligible all along
— SPORT English (@Sport_EN) November 30, 2015
Though he fell short of Ronaldo's incredible haul of 48, the Argentinian racked up a stunning 43 goals and was well ahead of the pair's nearest rivals, Barca team-mate Neymar and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann.