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Every football season produces intense competition between clubs who fight earnestly for the chance to become champions. With elite footballers also locking horns in the battle for major individual awards and that is actually what is happening in the La Liga at the moment. Top attackers continue to fight for the chance to go home with the coveted Pichichi trophy – top goalscorer of the season award.
The Pichichi trophy is the accolade given to the top goalscorer in the Spanish top flight annually, and it has grown to become one of the most recognized individual honours in Europe at the moment. Awarded by Spanish newspaper Marca since 1929, the Pichichi trophy has been won by many notable names with the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Diego Forlan, Raul, Samuel Eto, and Cristiano Ronaldo all claiming it during their times in the Spanish top flight.
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has dominated the award in each of the past few years, and he has also emerged as the favorite to claim it this year, having bagged a whopping 7 goals for Barcelona in 9 La Liga appearances so far.
However, the playmaker could face intense competition for the prize this season, considering that other attackers are also firing on all cylinders in the Spanish top flight at the moment.
Therefore, we take a look at 5 superstars who could overtake the Argentine in the race for the Pichichi trophy during the term:
#5 Roger Marti
The new La Liga season has been a great one so far with many attackers seizing the opportunity to push their careers ahead, including Levante forward Roger Marti - a player who has consistently earned plaudits for his incredible displays in front of goal since the beginning of the term.
The 27-year-old has been in an electrifying form ever since the campaign began, raising his game to an extraordinary level and putting up a couple of brilliant performances as The Frogs continue to match towards their objectives for the new La Liga season.
Roger Marti is one of the top goalscorers in the Spanish top flight at the moment with an incredible 6 goals in 9 appearances and if he manages to continue with his amazing record in front of goal, there is no doubt he could challenge Barcelona, superstar Lionel Messi for the Pichichi prize this term.
#4 Andre Silva
Portuguese superstar Andre Silva announced his incredible talent to the world in a fantastic fashion during his time at Porto before earning a big move to join Seria A giants AC Milan in the summer of 2017. However, he found life very difficult in the Italian top flight, prompting him to leave the San Siro in favor of a loan move to Sevilla this summer.
The attacker has been at an amazing level ever since he joined the Spanish outfit, recording a couple of extraordinary performances and rendering himself as a serious threat to opposition defences whenever he finds himself in the box.
Andre Silva has been one of the deadliest finishers in the La Liga this season, bagging an unbelievable 7 goals to his name in 10 appearances so far. With such an incredible record in front of goal, the Portuguese is actually one of the few superstars that could give Lionel Messi a scare for the Pichichi prize this term.
#3 Christian Stuani
Girona forward Christian Stuani is one of the few superstars that could put up a serious challenge with Barcelona maestro Lionel Messi for the Pichichi prize this season - thanks to his extraordinary record in front of goal since the beginning of the La Liga campaign.
The Uruguayan superstar has been one of the most impressive attackers in the Spanish top flight so far this season, recording a whopping 8 goals to his name in 9 appearances and putting himself among the most prolific goalscorers in the division at the moment.
Christian Stuani is gradually developing himself into a perfect number 9, with his ability to make intelligent runs into the opposition box and finish off chances to great effect. With such an unbelievable start, only time will tell many goals he would score during the term.
#2 Iago Aspas
Another superstar that could beat Lionel Messi to the Pichichi trophy this season is Celta De Vigo forward, Iago Aspas. The former Liverpool superstar has been one of the most prolific goalscorers in the La Liga for the past few years and his start to the current campaign has been nothing short of excellent.
The 31-year-old has continued with his incredible record in front of goal this season, leading Celta De Vigo's attacking line effectively and recording an amazing 8 goals to his name in just 10 La Liga appearances for La Célticos as well as sitting among the elite goalscorers in the Spanish top flight at the moment.
Aspas is a highly talented striker with pure technical skills, incredible pace and a brilliant touch, capable of beating opposition defenders in one-on-one situations as well as making goalscoring look like fun with his unbelievable finishing. The attacker finished behind Lionel Messi in the race for the Pichichi las term and he will be looking forward to pipping the Argentine to the prize this season.
#1 Luis Suarez
Having dominated the Pichichi trophy in each of the past few seasons, there is no doubt many attackers will be looking forward to overtaking Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi in the race for the accolade this term and it could end up being his teammate Luis Suarez that could pip him to the award.
Following a slow start to the current campaign, the Uruguayan has finally come back to his best in recent weeks, consistently producing extraordinary performances in the Spanish top flight and putting himself on top of the goalscoring chart with a whopping 9 goals in 11 appearances so far.
One of the deadliest attackers on the continent for the past few years, Suarez defeated Lionel Messi to claim the Pichichi trophy in 2016 and with such an incredible start to the current campaign, the Uruguayan sharpshooter is well on track to repeat such a feat this season.
