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The 2020-21 La Liga season saw one of the closest title races in recent years. Up until two weeks ago, as many as four clubs were vying for top spot in the league. In the end, Atletico Madrid lifted the trophy thanks to a winning goal from striker Luis Suarez in the final game of the campaign, reminding us as to why forwards have been and will continue to be the real game-changers in world football.
The race for the Pichichi Trophy, though, was not so close, as Lionel Messi led the pack with his incredible goalscoring form. The Spanish top-flight has been blessed with a host of talented attackers over the years, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi consistently topping the charts over the past decade.
As another eventful season in La Liga drew to a close on Sunday, here are the top 10 attackers from the 2020-21 campaign.
#10 Joselu | Deportivo Alaves
Former Real Madrid and Newcastle United striker Joselu has found his feet at Deportivo Alaves and was an inspirational figure in the relegation battle for the Basque club this season.
He found the back of the net 11 times in La Liga and provided three assists for his teammates, contributing to more than a third of Alaves' goals. He also scored twice and picked up an assist in crucial encounters against Levante and Elche recently.
After trying his luck with eight different clubs in three different countries, he has found a home at Alaves and enjoyed the best season of his career, where he has posted double-digit numbers in successive seasons.
#9 Antoine Griezmann | Barcelona
Barcelona sold a proven goalscorer in Luis Suarez at the start of the season but still managed to end up as the top-scoring side in the Spanish top-flight. While Messi's 30 goals have played a huge role in that aspect, Antoine Griezmann has also been involved in 20 goals in the league and has delivered for the Catalan giants despite all the criticism he has received in the past few months.
His tally of 13 goals in La Liga this term was an improvement from his debut season with the club. The Frenchman was also the joint-top scorer in Barcelona's Copa Del Rey winning run, scoring three goals, including two in the quarter-finals against Granada that paved the way for Barcelona's comeback in the eight-goal thriller.
He scored the only goal in Barcelona's win over Eibar in the final game of the season. According to recent reports, he is a transfer target for Liverpool but his performance at the European Championships for France will be a factor in determining his price. Barcelona, though, are not expected to entertain any offers for him this summer.
#8 Youssef En-Nesyri | Sevilla
One of the breakthrough stars of the 2020-21 La Liga season has been Sevilla's Youssef En-Nesyri. The Moroccan international was mostly used as a deputy for Luuk de Jong but the latter's form helped him get more playtime. He rewarded Julen Lopetegui's faith in him by scoring 18 goals in La Liga this term.
Unlike the other strikers on our list, he has no assists to his name. However, having contributed to more than a third of the Andalusian side's goals in the league, he almost single-handedly kept his side in the title race until the last two games of the season.
He broke the record for the most goals scored by a Moroccan player in a single La Liga season, overtaking Youssef El-Arabi, who scored 16 goals during the 2015-2016 season with Granada.
Also Read: 10 highest-paid players in La Liga this season (2020/21)
#7 Mikel Oyarzabal | Real Sociedad
One-club men are a rarity in modern football. Mikel Oyarzabal is a Real Sociedad player through and through, having risen through the ranks from the club's youth setup. He is now the club captain at the age of 24 and has been one of their most consistent players over the last few seasons.
He has recorded more than 20 goal involvements for the second season running, having notched up 13 goals and 10 assists across all competitions. Real Sociedad qualified for the UEFA Europa League after finishing fifth in the La Liga standings, scoring 59 goals.
Oyarzabal also proved his mettle as a big-game player this season when he scored the winning goal in the Copa Del Rey 2019-20 final over Athletic Bilbao in April. All three of his goals came in the final three games of the competition. He earned a well-deserved call-up to the Spain squad for the European Championships next month.
#6 Alexander Isak | Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad's attack was their biggest strength in the 2020-21 campaign. They had the fifth-best attacking stats in the league, scoring 59 goals in La Liga. With 17 goals and two assists, Alexander Isak has been involved in almost a third of their league goals this term.
The 21-year-old also became the first Swedish player to score a La Liga hat-trick since 1949 in a 4-0 win over Deportivo Alaves in February.
Apart from his exploits in front of goal in La Liga, he also finished as the top scorer in the Copa Del Rey in the 2019-20 season. He scored seven goals in the competition, including successive braces in the Round of 16 and the quarter-finals.
#5 Iago Aspas | Celta Vigo
There are very few things that are constant in La Liga, the trophy itself has changed hands three times in the last three seasons. One thing that has been as consistent as Lionel Messi winning the Pichichi Trophy and Jan Oblak lifting the Zamora Trophy is Iago Aspas' importance to boyhood club Celta Vigo.
While his stats for the season - 14 goals and 13 assists (roughly 50% of all Celta goals this term) - lay bare his importance in the final third for Celta, he is much more than just a goalscorer for them.
He also wins back possession in crucial positions and is a player who inspires his teammates with his steely character and professional conduct on the field. Unfortunately, he did not make it into Luis Enrique's Spain squad for the European Championships.
#4 Luis Suarez | Atletico Madrid
Luis Suarez has gone through an emotional rollercoaster this season. On the final day of the season, he scored the winning goal to seal the La Liga title for Atletico Madrid, who welcomed him with open arms after Barcelona had shown him the door.
The Uruguayan striker scored 21 goals and provided a much-needed boost in the final third for Los Rojiblancos, who had been superb defensively for the last couple of seasons but sorely missed a capable finisher like Suarez.
His movement on and off the ball has been as sharp as ever, while he also showed his prowess as a supreme goalscorer this season.
Also Read: 10 best goalkeepers in the world this season (2020-21)
#3 Karim Benzema | Real Madrid
Karim Benzema has maintained such a high level of consistency since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid that one wonders if his contributions to Madrid's trophy-laden phase last decade have been criminally overlooked.
For yet another season he finished second in the goalscoring charts, only behind Lionel Messi, and was the only Real Madrid player to have reached double figures for goals this term. It would not be wrong to say that his goals and assists were the only reason why Los Blancos stayed in the title race till the very last kick of the season.
With 32 goals involvement in 34 games, he contributed to roughly half of Real Madrid goals. As a result, was recalled to the French national team for the European Championships after a gap of six years.
He also won the Onze d’Or due to his incredible performances in the 2020-21 campaign in which he gave his all until the very last game against Villarreal, as he scored one and set up another to spearhead his side to a 2-1 victory.
#2 Gerard Moreno | Villareal
Gerard Moreno was one of the best players to watch in the 2020-21 La Liga season. He scored 23 times in the league and picked up seven assists, as he played a pivotal role for Unai Emery's Villarreal side.
He boasts a better shot conversion ratio than top-scorer Lionel Messi, indicating that he endured an extraordinary spell in front of goal. Despite spending just three seasons with The Yellow Submarine, he is already their top scorer in La Liga history with 56 goals.
Another interesting fact from his impressive season has been that he has converted all 10 of his penalties this term. That ability could come in handy in the UEFA Europa League final against Manchester United later this week.
#1 Lionel Messi | Barcelona
Despite receiving next to no support in the final third, Lionel Messi has continued to dominate the goalscoring charts in La Liga, as he finished the season with 30 goals. He was able to overtake Cristiano Ronaldo in the European Golden Shoe rankings, finishing second behind goal-machine Robert Lewandowski.
He also provided nine assists to his teammates and his skills in the final third ensured that Barcelona finished as the top-scoring side in the Spanish top-flight with 85 goals.
He helped the Catalans to their first piece of silverware since 2019 with a brace in the Copa Del Rey 2020-21 final and is undoubtedly the best forward in La Liga at the moment.
Also Read: Top 10 football players with the most fans in the world
