'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
One of the world's best and most influential leagues, the Serie A will kickoff for the 2018/2019 season next weekend.
It has been a curious summer for the Italian league. The failure of the Azzurri to qualify for the 2018 World Cup meant that the transfer window took on more significance than usual.
While the spending in the window has come nowhere near that of the English Premier League, the transfers themselves have been interesting, to say the least.
Juventus blew everyone out of the water when it confirmed the signing of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid for €100m. This set off a flurry of activities that have seen the former most expensive player in Serie A history, Gonzalo Higuain move to AC Milan in a loan deal that could eventually cost €60m.
Last season's Capocannoniere (top goalscorer) award was shared between Lazio's Ciro Immobile and Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi (29 goals apiece).
The battle for the 2018/2019's top scorer award promises to be even fiercer. Here is a look at some of the top contenders:
#5 Ciro Immobile (SS Lazio)
One of the more curious players around, the Italian international's career has been one bookmarked with high peaks and great troughs.
After all, this is a guy who has won the Capocannoniere award twice in his career (with Torino in the 2010-2011 season and last season with Torino). He is also the same guy who looked hopeless in spells with Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla where he couldn't hit a cow's backside with a bazooka.
The 28-year-old was at his destructive best last season as his razor-sharp finishing, brilliant hold up play and instinct for always being in the right place made him stand out.
The arrowhead of Simone Inzaghi's impressive Biancocelesti side, Immobile will once again be expected to be in among the top scorers in Serie A. The Rome-based side has lost Brazilian Felipe Anderson (who wasn't as influential last season as he had been before).
However, the continued presence of one of Europe's hottest properties in Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and players like Luis Alberto means there will continue to be a steady supply of ammunition for Immobile.
The addition of players like Joaquin Correa, Riza Durmisi, Mattia Sprocati (fast-paced dribblers with good crossing abilities) means that Immobile will have a good opportunity to win the Capocannoniere award again.
#4 Edin Dzeko (AS Roma)
The giant Bosnian has been the go-to guy for the Romans since he joined the Italian club from Manchester City in 2014. He has delivered brilliantly since he joined in 2015 and will be the lightning rod for the I Giallorossi (The Yellow and Reds) charge towards a first Serie A title since the 2000-2001 season.
One of Europe's most prolific and criminally underrated strikers, Dzeko will be a direct beneficiary of the summer of replenishment that the team has undergone. Acclaimed sporting director Carlos Monchi has spent the summer reducing the average age of the squad with an infusion of young, exciting and cheap talent.
It is expected that the new players alongside the likes of Cengiz Under, Stephen El-Sharrawy and others will provide ample opportunities for Dzeko and the other strikers in the team.
The Capocannoniere winner in the 2016-2017 season, the 32-year-old's hold up play, positioning, dribbling and aerial strength make him a legitimate contender for the award.
#3 Gonzalo Higuain (AC Milan)
The Argentine international may have been cast aside by Juventus for the shiny new toy that Ronaldo represents but make no mistake, it was a decision borne more out of economic as opposed to sporting reasons.
Higuain has been in Serie A since the 2013-2014 season when he joined Napoli from Real Madrid. During this time he has won the Serie A title twice with Juve and has plundered 111 goals in the league in just 177 league appearances.
Another criminally underrated striker, his predatory instincts, movements, intelligence and ability to bring the midfielders into play will be key for an AC Milan team that is still very much of an unknown quantity.
Due to its economic issues, the team has not exactly strengthened in the transfer market with Alen Halilovic being the only creative midfielder that has been added to the roster. However, the team has also not lost its creative sparks from last season; Suso, Hakan Calhanoglu among others.
Guaranteed game time and a prominent place leading the line means that the Argentine will be a contender for the Capocannoniere award which he won in the 2015-2016 season.
#2 Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan)
The leading marksman (alongside Immobile) last season and the youngest player on the list; Icardi looks set to continue his cyclonic career in Serie A so far.
A brooding, temperamental individual off the pitch, the Argentine has been an absolute beast and undoubtedly the Nerazzurri's best/most important player in the last few seasons. Despite the struggles of the team to interpret coach Luciano Spaletti's tactical instructions last season, Icardi's game went up a level and plundered 29 goals in spite of the team's patchy displays.
He is expected to get even better in the 2018/2019 season. A long summer of rest and relaxation (following his ludicrous exclusion from Argentina's World Cup squad) means he is refreshed and ready to lead Inter's challenge for the Serie A title.
Inter Milan's business in the transfer market also makes his case to win the 2018/2019 season's Capocannoniere award even stronger. The Nerazzurri have brought in about £63m worth of talent.
Argentine teenage striking sensation Lautaro Martinez, Belgian midfielder Radja Naingolaan and marauding Croatian fullback Sime Vrsaljko are certain to add more creativity to the team, a situation that can only benefit the Inter captain.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Arch-predator, magnificent physical specimen, majestic beast and all-round awesome player, Ronaldo's arrival in Serie A has certainly shaken up a lot of things. The Portuguese superstar has won top scorer awards in the English Premier League and in the Spanish La Liga. Given his confidence levels, he will back himself to stake a claim for the Capocannoniere title.
The 33-year-old is at an age where a lot of other world-class strikers would be slowing down both physically and in terms of production. However, Ronaldo is not like other players and it is expected that he will deliver his usual 20+ goals a season tally for the Bianconeri.
La Vecchia Signora (The Old Lady) faces a huge fight to retain the Scudetto they had won for the past 7 consecutive seasons. As such, the arrival of Ronaldo has been a huge boost for the Black and White-striped Turin giants.
While the supporting cast he will work with at Juventus may not be as capable as the one he had at Real Madrid, the options Juve possess are not too shabby. In Paolo Dybala, Douglas Costa, Federico Bernardeschi, and the fullbacks Alex Sandro and Joao Cancelo, manager Max Allegri has players capable of supplying the ammunition for Ronnie to get a basketful of goals.
Ronaldo's individual qualities make him the favourite to get the 2018/2019 season's Capocannoniere and it won't be a surprise if he gets another 40+ goal tally in the Serie A.
