Messi's inability to add to his 11 goal tally against Atletico Madrid on Saturday allowed Immobile to move level in the standings for this term's Golden Shoe with two goals in his side's win over Juventus.
The Italian striker's seven-minute brace just after half time was enough for Lazio to complete a remarkable comeback and end Juve's two-year unbeaten home run.
With that, Immobile joined Messi on 11 goals for the season, but he does boast one more assist and a higher percentage of shots on target (71% compared to Messi's 59%).
Another player who nobody expected to see in the running is Radamel Falcao. The Colombian has rejuvenated his career at Monaco and scored an impressive 12 goals in nine games (one more than Immobile and Messi) in Ligue 1.
The list is, however, currently lead by Albert Prosa, who has scored 27 goals in 33 games for Estonian top flight team Infonet Tallinn, but that is likely to change over the course of the year.