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The La Liga's tryst with North American players dates back to the pre-Spanish Civil War days when a little-known Mexican by the name Jose Ramon Sauto signed for Real Madrid in 1933.
That marked the start of a new chapter in a relatively young football league. as few other players from the region also made their way to the Iberian peninsula soon thereafter.
Mexico remained the main exporter of players from the CONCACAF region in the La Liga till the USA and Canada also arrived towards the end of the century. Kasey Keller arrived in the La Liga from the USA in 1999, while Julian de Guzman in 2005 became the first-ever Canadian player to grace the La Liga.
Five most prolific North American goal-scorers in the La Liga
Only 45 players from North America have plied their trade in the La Liga. On that note, let's have a look at the five most prolific goal-scorers from the continent in the Spanish top flight.
#5 Guillermo Franco (Mexico) - 14 goals
Villarreal's connection with Mexican players is special. The La Liga club have signed a few players from the country in the past. One of them was Guillermo Franco, who caught the club's attention with his exploits with San Lorenzo and Monterrey.
The striker had an underwhelming first two seasons but sprung to life in the 2007-08 La Liga campaign. Franco scored eight times and made seven assists to help Villareal finish second behind champions Real Madrid.
However, in his next campaign, Franco lost form, failing to score in 18 consecutive games. That paved the way for his loan spell with West Ham United in the Premier League.
#4 Andres Guardado (Mexico) - 15 goals
Another well-travelled Mexican with plenty of European pedigree is Andres Guardado. He played 11 years in the La Liga with three different sides, but his most notable stint was with Deportivo La Coruna.
Guardado joined the Galicians in 2007 and enjoyed four moderate seasons in the La Liga. After the side got relegated in 2010-11, he stuck around and helped them regain top-flight promotion after only a year in the second division.
The striker went to play for Valencia and Real Betis in the La Liga too. But both spells turned out to be highly underwhelming, as Andres Guardado netted only thrice in 150 cumulative league games.
#3 Giovani dos Santos (Mexico) - 26 La Liga goals
Giovani dos Santos is another prolific Mexican goal-scorer in the La Liga. But he remains an unfortunate case of unfulfilled promise and largely failed to live to his hype.
After coming through the ranks at Barcelona's youth academy, a breakout season with the first team in 2007-08 earned Santos a move to Tottenham Hotspur. But things only went downhill from there.
Dos Santos was never able to recover and reach the heights he was supposed to scale despite trying his luck with seven other sides since leaving London, which included three in the La Liga.
His subsequent spells with Racing Santander, Mallorca and Villarreal yielded only 23 La Liga goals in 102 games across four seasons. But to his credit, he also accumulated 28 assists too.
#2 Carlos Vela (Mexico) - 69 goals
The current Mexican side boasts some of the deadliest attackers on the planet. One of them is Carlos Vela.
Widely considered as one of the finest players El Tri have ever produced, Vela went on from being a Premier League flop with Arsenal to a La Liga legend with Real Sociedad.
Following an impressive loan spell with the Basque outfit in the 2011-12 season, which yielded Vela 12 La Liga goals in 35 games, the striker was signed permanently. Vela continued in much the same vein for another five and a half seasons.
Incredibly versatile and highly creative, Vela struck 54 more times in the La Liga during this period, with his most prolific return coming in the 2013-14 campaign when he netted 16 times.
His prolific scoring ability was the driving factor in helping Real Sociedad qualify for the Champions League and the Europa League. Vela also won the club's 'Player of the Season' award on two occasions.
#1 Hugo Sanchez (Mexico) - 234 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo might be the greatest ever player for Real Madrid. But the Blancos faithful of the 80s might beg to differ a little, for they still hold Hugo Sanchez in high esteem.
A peerless goalscorer renowned for spectacular finishes and blistering volleys, Sanchez belonged to the small group of players who played for both Madrid sides, Atletico and Real.
However, it was at the Santiago Bernabeu where Sanchez enjoyed his most success. He joined Real Madrid in 1985 after four good seasons with the Rojiblancos, which yielded him 54 league goals in 111 appearances.
Once in the white half of the Spanish capital, the former Mexican great was unstoppable, scoring goals at a frightening rate and breaking numerous records along the way.
In the next seven seasons, Sanchez scored another 164 times in the La Liga from only 207 games. He even lifted the league title in his first five seasons at the club, along with five domestic Golden Boot awards.
Not many people may know, but Hugo Sanchez also played one season for Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish top flight. He scored 11 league goals in the 1993-94 season for Rayo Vallecano, which also happened to be his last season in the La Liga.
