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The Spanish La Liga may not be as physical as the English Premier League or as tactical as the Serie A, but it is one of Europe's top five leagues for a reason.
La Liga clubs have dominated European competitions in the last five years, which are the true measure of the strength and competitiveness of the league. During this period, La Liga teams have captured three Champions League crowns (all by Real Madrid) and as many Europa League titles (Sevilla - 2, Atletico Madrid - 1).
Not surprisingly, three La Liga clubs - Real Madrid (second), Barcelona (third) and Atletico Madrid (fourth) - occupy three of the top five spots in the latest UEFA club coefficient rankings.
Top 10 active forwards in La Liga
Despite La Liga producing the fewest goals per game among Europe's top five leagues last season, some of the finest strikers feature in the Spanish top-flight. Playing in a bevvy of forward positions like centre forward or second striker, they score goals and also aid their teams' cause in the attacking third.
On that note, let us have a look at the top ten active strikers in La Liga.
#10: Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao)
The 26-year-old Inaki Williams, who plays as a centre forward for Athletic Bilbao, may not score goals aplenty but is nevertheless a key player for the La Liga side. Such is his importance to the side that Williams has not missed a La Liga game for Bilbao in the last four seasons.
Renowned for his blistering pace, passing ability and tackling prowess - the latter two attributes being rare for a centre-forward - Williams is especially lethal for Bilbao on the counter. His versatility allows him to be deployed as a winger, with his crosses and passes conjuring scoring opportunities for teammates.
In close to 200 La Liga games spanning six seasons for the Bilbao side, Williams has scored 40 goals and has registered 26 assists.
#9: Willian Jose (Real Sociedad)
Like his Bilbao counterpart, Willian Jose has also featured in six La Liga seasons, all for Real Sociedad. In this period, the 28-year-old Brazilian, who plays as a centre forward, has scored 58 goals and provided 15 assists for teammates in the competition.
He predominantly features as a centre-forward but invariably drops deep to aid in the buildup play. He doesn't attempt too many dribbles or take plenty of shots on goal, but he has been a utility man up-front for Sociedad.
Willian Jose has scored at least ten La Liga goals in each of his last four seasons in the competition, a feat managed by only four other players during this period.
#8: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid)
Portuguese sensation Joao Felix has drawn comparisons with his illustrious compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the second-highest goal-scorer in La Liga history. The youngster is considered as one of the most talented young players in the world.
Saddled by the pressure of his expensive €126 million price tag, which made him the most expensive Portuguese player in history, Felix had an underwhelming debut season in La Liga. He displayed glimpses of his precocious talent, albeit in infrequent bursts.
Due to his versatility, Felix can operate in a bevvy of offensive positions in the attacking third, ranging from striker, second striker, winger or even attacking midfielder. At Atletico, he has predominantly featured as a second striker.
The former Benfica starlet may have scored only six goals and provided one assist in his 27 La Liga games last season, but with his creativity, finishing and passing skills, he is tipped for great things in the future.
#7: Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid)
Diego Costa, who started his top-flight career with Braga, is a La Liga veteran, having featured in eight seasons in the competition with 71 goals in 198 games.
Due to his technique, physical strength and ability to hold the ball, the Atletico Madrid centre forward is a potent target man.
Costa's goal-scoring prowess has massively dwindled in recent times. He has scored just ten times in his last 54 La Liga games across three seasons since scoring 27 in Atletico's title-winning campaign in 2013-14, but the 31-year-old has tallied an impressive 38 assists in the competition.
#6: Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona)
Antoine Griezmann has plied his trade for three different La Liga teams in his illustrious career and is a proven scorer in the Spanish top-flight.
The 29-year-old Frenchman, who is a versatile left-footed player who can operate in a plethora of positions in the attacking third, has played at least 32 La Liga games in each of his ten different seasons in the competition.
Even though he had a lukewarm debut campaign for Barcelona last season, in which he scored just nine goals, Griezmann is one of the few active marksmen in La Liga who has scored over 100 goals. The Frenchman has 143 goals in the competition to go with his 54 assists.
However, a large part of his struggle in adapting to life in Catalonia could be attributed to the fact that he did not get to play in his preferred number ten position - one he played at Atletico - because it was occupied by Lionel Messi.
Under new manager Ronald Koeman, the Frenchman would hope to rediscover his scoring touch regardless of the position he may be deployed in.
#5: Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo)
Barring a season apiece at Liverpool and Sevilla, 33-year-old Iago Aspas has played for Celta Vigo since his professional debut at the club in 2007.
During his seven seasons in La Liga (six of them being for Celta Vigo), Aspas has scored 103 goals and provided 30 assists.
Despite his diminutive stature, Aspas is renowned for his pace (which has dropped in recent times) and the Spaniard is a lethal presence in the attacking third. His versatility allows him to be played in many positions such as number ten, attacking midfield, wide midfield or right-winger.
Aspas' utility to his team can be gauged from the fact that in 2018-19 when Celta narrowly managed to avoid La Liga relegation by finishing 17th, the team struggled to score goals up-front as the striker missed large chunks of the campaign.
#4: Gerard Moreno (Villarreal)
Gerard Moreno, who plays as a centre forward for Villareal, has scored 69 goals and provided 18 assists in over 200 games spanning six La Liga seasons.
In fact, the 28-year-old had his most prolific campaign in the competition last season, over the course of which he found the back of the net on 18 occasions and provided six assists as Villarreal finished a creditable fifth. His goal-tally during the campaign represented almost a third (29%) of Villarreal's goals during the season.
Moreno, who is a versatile player and can also play as a winger, wide midfielder or a right-attacking midfielder, produced 23 goal-contributions in La Liga last season - a tally which was surpassed by only Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema and Luis Suarez.
#3: Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
Luis Suarez has been a prolific goal-scorer during his six seasons in La Liga with Barcelona, and has scored 147 goals in 191 appearances in the competition.
The Uruguayan, who has also tallied an impressive 74 assists in La Liga, is renowned for his technical ability, shooting prowess and his penchant for 'nutmegging' unsuspecting opponent defenders.
In 2015-16, Suarez outscored his illustrious compatriot Lionel Messi and netted 40 La Liga goals in the campaign. In the process, he became only the third player in the history of the competition to score more than 38 goals in a season.
Suarez, whose versatility allows him to be deployed in a bevvy of positions in the attacking third ranging from target man to second striker, has formed a formidable partnership with Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi.
#2: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid's premier striker Karim Benzema, who spent large parts of his Los Blancos career playing second fiddle to his illustrious former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, has stepped up after the Portuguese's departure by racking up successive 20-goal La Liga seasons.
Benzema, whose tally of 169 La Liga goals is the second-most by an active player in the competition, has scored in each of his 11 seasons in the Spanish top-flight, a feat that is bettered by only a handful of players.
The Frenchman is adept with either foot, and is renowned for his aerial prowess and composure in front of goal. Benzema's versatility, like many other players on this list, allows him to be played in a plethora of offensive positions ranging from winger, second striker or a number ten, although he prefers to play as a centre forward.
Benzema's 95 assists in La Liga is the most by any active player in the competition bar one - the one who is ahead of him in this list.
#1: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
What can be said about Lionel Messi that hasn't already been said! The talismanic Barcelona captain, who is one of the only one-club men in the game, is arguably one of the finest players to have graced a football field.
Messi, who started his career at Camp Nou in 2004, is the only player to have scored in 16 seasons (consecutive or otherwise) in La Liga. His tallies of 444 goals and 201 assists in La Liga are miles ahead of any other player in the competition.
In one of his below-par scoring seasons by his staggering standards, the diminutive Argentinian scored 25 goals, which was his lowest La Liga goal tally in a season since 2008-09 (23). But he provided a record 21 assists in yet another demonstration of his goal-scoring contribution par excellence.
Apart from his goal-scoring and goal-assisting prowess, Messi, unsurprisingly, holds a plethora of other records in La Liga, like most goals in a La Liga campaign (50), most hat-tricks and most free-kicks, to name a few.
Despite his short stature, which gives him a low centre of gravity, Messi is able to take on physically imposing opponents, thanks to his upper body strength, blistering pace and ability to dribble at pace.
Messi was on the verge of leaving Barcelona this summer but averted a potentially protracted wrangle with his club by deciding to stay on for another season and see out his contract. The departure of Messi, which appears to be a question of when and not if, would leave a gaping void in La Liga that may never be filled.
