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#3 Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid)
Luis Suarez was a man on a mission in the 2020-21 season. He wanted to prove to his former employers Barcelona that he still had what it takes to deliver at the top level. Suarez was left heartbroken after being shown the exit door rather unceremoniously at Barcelona in the summer of 2020.
He proved his point as he got off to a brilliant start to life at Atletico Madrid, scoring 16 goals in his first 17 appearances in the league. He did suffer a dip in form towards the end of the season but scored the all-important title-winning goal for Atletico Madrid on the final day of the season.
Suarez finished fourth in the La Liga Golden Boot race with 21 goals. He will be raring to go again and will be crucial to Atletico Madrid's title defence this term.
#2 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Karim Benzema was arguably Real Madrid's best player in the 2020-21 season. Being the most experienced and dependable attacker on the team, he was willing to shoulder the load of goalscoring and did it with aplomb. He was so good that he earned a call-up to the French national side for Euro 2020 after a six-year exile.
Benzema scored 23 goals in 34 La Liga appearances last season and is still going strong at the age of 33. As Real Madrid have not signed any new attacking players, the onus of goalscoring will once again fall on Benzema in the upcoming season.
The Frenchman will be happy to oblige and is also expected to pull strings in the final third thanks to his excellent playmaking abilities.
#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Lionel Messi had a seven-goal lead over his competition in the La Liga Golden Boot race last term. He was at his imperious best in the second half of the season. After getting off to an underwhelming start to the campaign, Messi scored 24 goals in 21 matches in the league since the turn of the year.
Though he is not as fast as he used to be, Messi is still at the top of his game in every other aspect. The Argentina international's ball-carrying ability is second to none. Messi also continues to be a masterful finisher who can sidefoot, lob and even bang them into the net with relative ease.
With Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero added to the frontline, Messi will be able to express himself even more in the 2021-22 season. Coming off a successful Copa America campaign where he also won the Golden Boot and the Best Player Award, there's no doubting Messi's form either.
