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For more than a decade, Real Madrid and Barcelona have dominated the Spanish League. We have seen Messi and Ronaldo grabbing the headlines every week for the last 6 to 7 years. Messi is at his usual best again this season but Ronaldo got off to the worst-ever La Liga start of his career.
To everyone's surprise, there were also a few other names that made the headlines this season. Valencia's unbeaten start to their La Liga campaign turned many heads and some of the new summer signings have already exceeded expectations. Players like Antonio Sanabria, Rodrigo and Iago Aspas have been brilliant over the last 3 months.
Here's a look at 5 players who surprised us with some exceptional performances in 2017/18:
#5 Cedric Bakambu (Villarreal)
A French national by birth, Cedric Bakambu has been a revelation in La Liga this season. He moved from Turkey side Bursaspor to Spanish side Villarreal on a 5-year deal during the summer of 2015.
In 10 La Liga games so far this season, Bakambu has scored 8 goals. He is third on the list of leading La Liga scorers this season, only behind Messi and Zaza. He was the key man behind's Villarreal's great start to the 2017/18 season as they currently sit at 5th place in the La Liga standings, only behind Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, and Atletico Madrid.
Bakambu has blistering pace and is quick with his feet, making him a difficult player for defenders to mark. His movement inside the box is excellent and he often makes intelligent runs behind the defence. Bakambu has scored every 104 minutes in La Liga this season, which is prolific for any striker in a top-flight league.
#4 Goncalo Guedes (Valencia, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain)
20-year-old Portuguese attacker, loaned from PSG, has been playing some sensational football for Valencia over the last 2 months. Making his Valencia debut only late in the September, Guedes has already scored 3 times and provided 5 assists.
More than the goals and assists, his link-up play with Rodrigo and Zaza has produced some stunning moments on the field.
He is very mature for a 20-year-old and is playing the best football of his career. He plays on the left of a four-man midfield and has been providing the creative spark for Valencia ever since his debut. He is pacy, can dribble past defenders, is excellent in link up play, can go into the box to shoot for goal himself and also possesses a thunderous right foot.
He has become a fan favourite at Valencia in a very short span of time and he is proving to be one of the key reasons behind Valencia's excellent run this season. Considering the start he had, it will be good for Guedes to extend his stay in La Liga as he may not get any sort of game time with the star-studded PSG side.
#3 Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)
Barcelona have the best defensive record in La Liga this season. They have conceded only 4 times in La Liga and once in the UEFA Champions League.
When all the focus in on Lionel Messi, Ter Stegen is Barcelona's second best player this term. He is quickly climbing up the charts to become one of the best goalkeepers in the world and is not far behind De Gea or Oblak. He has kept 10 clean sheets so far in 15 games (La Liga + UCL) and conceded only 5 goals in the process.
He had an answer to everything that was thrown at him this season. He has been excellent in one-on-one situations, has displayed strong hands with fearsome long-range drives, showed excellent instincts with close-range shots and is often the first man to react to any threats inside the box.
He was a great presence between the sticks for Barcelona this season and some of his saves (the one to deny Aritz Aduriz on match day 10) were simply phenomenal.
#2 Simone Zaza (Valencia)
West Ham fans need to skip this slide unless they possess a strong heart. Former West Ham loanee Simone Zaza is turning heads around in La Liga with a sensational start to the season.
With 9 goals already this season, Zaza is only behind Lionel Messi in the La Liga scoring charts. He has been key to Valencia's unbeaten start to the 2017/18 La Liga season.
Simone Zaza is lethal in front of goal, scoring with his every 3rd shot on goal which gives him a conversion rate of 33.3%, making him the 5th best among the players with at least 6 goals in Europe’s big leagues.
Zaza is very strong and aggressive in the box, holds up play well and can fiercely strike the ball with either foot. He has formed an excellent partnership with Rodrigo and Valencia's success, this season, depends on how long Zaza can keep his hunger.
#1 Paulinho (Barcelona)
When Barcelona paid €40 million for Paulinho in the summer of 2017, not even the Barcelona fans were happy with the business. After a hugely unsuccessful spell in the Premier League with Tottenham, Paulinho moved to China during the summer of 2015.
But ever since Tite took over the Brazil reign in 2016, he has revived Paulinho's career. He was superb for Brazil over the last 12 months and had a stunning start to the campaign with Barcelona.
He was quick in silencing the doubters at Barcelona, scoring twice and playing the role of a box-to-box midfielder to perfection. Unlike other Barcelona midfielders, Paulinho is physically strong and is not afraid to go into tackles.
He is excellent aerially and gives a new dimension to Valverde's side. He is dangerous in front of goal with the set pieces and is, altogether, a great addition to the Barcelona squad.
