What a year it's been for Neymar. The Brazilian forward had a disappointing Copa America which ended in suspension, but he has rebounded beautifully for his club team, Barcelona.

Lionel Messi is still out with an injury, and many soccer aficionados thought Neymar would struggle without Messi by his side. Quiet the contrary so far. Neymar has scored a goal in five of his last six La Liga games played and he is currently the top goal scorer with eight strikes. Neymar had an incredible game last week against Rayo Vallecano with five goals, his most as a Barcelona player to date.

We're only eight weeks through the La Liga season, but this does beg the question: Can Neymar win the Pichichi trophy this season ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo?

The Pichichi has been won by either Messi or Ronaldo in each of the last six seasons. The last player to win the award, other than Ronaldo or Messi, was Diego Forlán back in the 2008-09 season. Neymar can certainly break that streak given the fact that Messi is out and Ronaldo is not playing his best soccer at the moment. As a matter of fact, our very own David Salazar noted that Neymar is playing so well this year that he is "playing like a Ballon d'Or Candidate."

The last Brazilian to win the La Liga scoring title was Ronaldo de Lima, who did so with Barcelona and Real Madrid in 1996-97 and 2003-04.

With Messi out for some time, Luis Suarez is playing more of the "point guard" role for Barcelona, which is working well so far. That's not to say that Neymar isn't a gifted passer by any means. It's just a compliment to Suarez's improving passing skills and Neymar's finishing abilities. Since Suarez is passing the ball more now, it will open the door for more goals in the near future for the young Brazilian.

But let's not kid ourselves. That 30-year-old superstar over at Real Madrid isn't going down without a fight.

Ronaldo has led La Liga in scoring the last two years and three of the last five. Last season he scored an incredible 48 goals, which is the second most in La Liga history behind only Messi's 50 in the 2011-12 season. However, Ronaldo isn't playing his best soccer at the moment. Injuries to Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema should open the door for more goals, but on the flip side, opposing defenders will be double teaming Ronaldo at a higher rate than ever before.

Ronaldo is currently tied with Benzema for the team-lead in goals with six.

We still have plenty of time remaining, but Neymar is playing better for Barcelona then he ever has before. It would be a complete exaggeration to assume Messi won't return to complete form and retake the No. 1 spot over Neymar once he comes back. However, Messi won't be returning for at least another month meaning he won't play in the El Clasico against Real Madrid on Nov. 21. If Neymar can light the lamp against their biggest rivals on the road without Messi in an upset victory it would do wonders for his legacy.

It doesn't look like we're going to experience a record breaking goal scoring season this year in La Liga like we've seen in recent years. More than likely the Pichichi winner will finish with somewhere around 35-40 goals this season. Neymar scored 22 goals last season for Barcelona, but he is on pace to score 38 this season.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1