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La Liga has no shortage of excellent footballers. The Spanish league is renowned in the footballing world as it offers a delightful spectacle of football. This is a result of not just having a rich collection of forwards and midfielders, but a great set of world-class defenders.
The left-back is a position of great importance in a league like La Liga, where an integral part of attacking football is the overlapping fullbacks. These players excel at both offensive and defensive displays and can often be the difference between winning a defeat for a La Liga side.
Some La Liga left-backs are ahead of the rest in 2021
While quality left-backs are well distributed across all La Liga teams, some stood out from others in 2021. These left-backs were not only great defensively, but also had significant offensive contributions among La Liga defenders.
It was primarily their consistent and good performances that helped their respective sides to have an advantage over the other clubs in La Liga. Let's take a look at five such left-backs.
#5 Marcos Acuna
Since his transfer to Sevilla in 2020 from Sporting CP, Argentine footballer Marcos Acuna has been a superb addition to La Liga. Acuna can play in multiple positions on the left, but his primary position is the left-back position.
He has been a solid signing for Sevilla, and 2021 was an excellent year for him, although Sevilla fell short of earning a major trophy. Nevertheless, he has been a regular in the side and is a trusted part of Julen Lopetegui's tactics.
In 2021, Acuna was tight at the back as he used his speed to fall back and move up at will. He has made eight goal contributions in 2021, which counts for two goals and six assists.
#4 Pervis Estupinan
Following a series of loan spells, Estupinan has finally settled down at Villareal this season. However, he has shown his skillset in the last few years spent in La Liga on loan.
The Ecuadorian left-back was signed on an emergency role in 2020 as Villareal's Alberto Moreno suffered a horrific injury in pre-season.
Since joining, Estupinan has risen to become the first name in the squad. Estupinan has a strong desire to win every ball, but his technical prowess also stands out when moving with the ball.
Estupinan hasn't contributed much to the goal involvement side. But he is developing rapidly and has what it takes to be a top left-back in La Liga.
#3 Jose Gaya
Jose Gaya has been a consistent name in La Liga over the last few years. This is despite Valencia having endured inconsistent patches of form, troubled by financial mismanagement.
Despite many rumors, Gaya has stayed put at Valencia, and his strong performances in 2021 were a saving grace for the club. Valencia may have been underperforming in La Liga, but Jose Gaya has proven himself once again in 2021 to be a sublime footballer.
In 2021, Gaya made it to the Spanish side, typically for his expertise as an attacking left-back. His attacking game was robust in 2021 as Gaya had 12 goal involvements across all significant tournaments. Nine out of those were assists, while Gaya scored three himself.
#2 Ferland Mendy
Real Madrid would have long worried about who would carry Marcelo's baton at the La Liga club. However, with Ferland Mendy, Real have a brilliant option for both the present and the future. Since joining from Lyon in 2019, Mendy has gone from strength to strength in the Spanish capital.
In his initial days in La Liga, Mendy showed his defensive side of the game at the cost of an attacking performance. But Madrid rarely lost with him in the side, which fast-tracked him into the starting XI.
Mendy has shown a more attacking side in his game since the turn of 2021. He has scored three times and made an assist. That may not seem much compared to the offensive output of a few other La Liga left-backs on this list. But Mendy is excellent at defense, and his style of play is pretty unique as it's a hybrid of an attacking wing-back and a defensive full-back.
#1 Jordi Alba
2021 is shaping up to be the year to be forgotten for La Liga club Barcelona. They lost their talisman Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain and several members have underperformed.
But Jordi Alba has once again performed strongly over the current calendar year to give the Catalan club some hope. He has proven his money's worth since joining and has been one of Barcelona's top performers.
Despite a largely mediocre season for the club as a whole, Alba's performances have not taken a hit.
Barcelona may not have scored as many goals as they would have liked. However, Alba managed 13 assists and four goals all by himself in the current calendar year.
