Yesterday we took a look at Cristiano Ronaldo's seeming inconsistency throughout the start of the year, but he is not the only one struggling to score goals.

Lionel Messi, the man destined to win the Ballon d'Or in a matter of months, has actually been worse at finishing in 2015-16 than his great rival.

Messi has 45 goals and 24 assists in 2015, in 52 matches, but when you take away the nine he has had in 2015-16, that number moves to 39 goals and 22 assists in 43 games, a far better number and one that actually speaks volumes about Messi's recent struggles. He has six goals and two assists in nine games and has found the net on just four occasions. It's less than half of the games he has played and there is certainly reason to worry about the superstar's current ability to finish.

In Celta Vigo on Wednesday, he had a clear chance in front of goal that wound up smashing the post and denying the superstar his seventh goal in all competitions. It has been that kind of year for Messi.

In Spain, he has just three goals in five games; while it is still early, he is on pace for 22 goals at his current pace, the worst total he has had in Spain since 2007-08. Obviously that is not going to continue, but there are some things to note for Messi. He is currently averaging 6.2 shots per game, the most he has ever had in La Liga, but he is not putting his chances away.

His career average of shots on goal per game is 4.9, so it is unlikely he continues taking shots at this high rate over the long run and just as unlikely that he shoots at his current nine percent accuracy. (He scored on 22.9 percent of his shots a year ago; since 2009-10 his average scoring rate has been 21 percent). If he manages to wind up shooting 4.9 shots, a game, this year and scores at his usual 21 percent then Messi should still come in at around 39 goals. That would still be far lower than his total from 2014-15 when he scored 43. If he keeps up his 6.2 shots per game and gets back to his 21 percent shooting success, he could be in for around 49 goals. That number might be more likely given Messi's other improvements.

He is actually making more dribbles per game this season with a whopping 7.6 per game; his career average per game since 2009-10 is 4.8. More dribbling means more offensive opportunities for the superstar, which could in turn result in more goals.

More shocking? He is getting dispossessed less often than usual; his career average is 2.6 per game, while in 2015-16 he has lost the ball just 2.4 times per game. He is also making more key passes, through balls and even long balls per game than ever before, thus emphasizing his expanding arsenal.

So even if Messi is not scoring 50 goals this season, he is contributing in a lot of other major areas that should make up for his lack of tallies.

The goals will eventually come and if Messi continues his current trajectory, he will be harder to stop than ever before.