5 North American players with the most La Liga goals

Mexican players have been prolific scorers in the La Liga.
Mexican players have been prolific scorers in the La Liga.

#3 Giovani dos Santos (Mexico) - 26 La Liga goals

Giovanni dos Santos scored 11 goals and eight assists during the 2013-14 La Liga with Villarreal.
Giovanni dos Santos scored 11 goals and eight assists during the 2013-14 La Liga with Villarreal.

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

Carlos Vela put Real Sociedad back on the European map.
Carlos Vela put Real Sociedad back on the European map.

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

Hugo Sanchez is the highest foreign scorer in La Liga, ranking only after Messi and Ronaldo.
Hugo Sanchez is the highest foreign scorer in La Liga, ranking only after Messi and Ronaldo.

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.

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