Top 10 players in La Liga this season according to ratings

Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has proved his haters wrong once again this season

The 2017/18 La Liga season has been extremely exciting so far. Not surprisingly, the list is dominated by players who belong to the top three clubs in the league, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. While the identity of the teams on this list is not much of a surprise, the players and their positions on this list will definitely rustle a few feathers.

Forwards perhaps predictably dominate this list while there are also a couple of central midfielders who are ranked pretty high. Without much ado, let us take a look at the 10 best players this season in La Liga according to ratings.

[Note: The ranking has been done based on the average whoscored.com rating of the footballer during the course of the season, wherein only league football stats have been considered.]


#10 Saul Niguez (Rating 7.43) - Atletico Madrid

Real Betis v Atletico Madrid - La Liga
Saul has been one of Atletico Madrid's most consistent players this season

Still only 23-years-old, Saul is already talked about as a potential matchwinner for Spain in Russia 2018. Still not sure of his best position, Saul is capable of playing as a midfielder and on both flanks. He even had an appearance as a full-back this season.

His ability to read the play and intercept passes make him well-suited to a number of defensive roles, while his technical skills, dribbling ability, and stamina has seen Simeone already use the Spaniard in a number of attacking roles.

One of Simeone's most trusted players, Saul is tipped to be among the next generation of world-class superstars. Having made the majority of his appearances from the central midfield role, Saul is a top class box-to-box midfielder and has been one of Atletico Madrid's best players this season.

#9 Iago Aspas (Rating 7.45) - Celta Vigo

Celta Vigo v Alaves - Copa Del Rey Semi-final: First Leg
Iago Aspas has been in fine form for both club and country

Liverpool fans might be shocked by his inclusion on this list, but there is no denying the fact that Aspas has been one of the standout performers in La Liga this season. The highest scoring Spaniard in the League, Aspas has almost singlehandedly made a very average Celta Vigo side into a good one.

Blessed with good dribbling skills, technical ability, and finishing skills, the Celta Vigo star with his good performances even earned a call-up to the Spain national team. Finding space in tight areas is Aspas' specialty and he has been extremely clinical this season scoring 16 league goals in 28 matches.

At 30, Aspas is playing some of the best football of his career and Celta Vigo will be hoping that the talented forward continues his good form this season. On a personal note, should Aspas continue his good form, he will be more than hopeful of making it to the 2018 Spain World Cup squad.

#8 Geoffery Kondogbia (Rating 7.47) - Valencia

Valencia v Barcelona - La Liga
Kondogbia has been an absolute revelation for Valencia this season

Joining Valencia on loan from Italian giants Inter Milan, Geoffery Kondogbia has been extremely consistent with his performances in the centre of the park for Los Che this season. A defensive midfielder with an imposing physical presence, Kondogbia has been one of the unsung heroes of the impressive Valencia side.

Capable of breaking up play with his good positioning and tackling skills, the Frenchman has also contributed to the attacking side of things by scoring 4 goals and assisting another 4 with his intelligent passing.

After struggling to impose himself at Inter, Kongdogbia has rediscovered his best form in La Liga and is showing the world what he is capable of when he plays to his potential. Still only 25, the French defensive midfielder will be hoping to kick on and put in consistently good performances season after season.

#7 Filipe Luis (Rating 7.49) - Atletico Madrid

Espanyol v Atletico Madrid - La Liga
Luis has been rock solid for Atletico Madrid this season

Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid side is renowned for its defence and the most consistent defender for this side has been Filipe Luis this season. The left-back has been solid throughout putting in some match-winning performances and bombing up and down the flanks tirelessly.

The 32-year-old has not been afraid to get his hands dirty and it is seen by the fact that the Brazilian has won an incredible 45 tackles in the 17 games he has played so far. Not only has Luis been extremely dependable in defence this season, his attacking contribution has also been top notch with the left-back having created 17 chances in 17 games.

While the likes of Griezmann, Saul, Diego Costa and Koke often grab all the headlines, Luis is undoubtedly the soul of Diego Simeone’s warrior Atletico Madrid side.

#6 Antoine Griezmann (Rating 7.51) - Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid v CD Leganes - La Liga
Antoine Griezmann has been in fine goalscoring form in 2018

Undoubtedly the biggest star in Diego Simeone’s fighting Atletico Madrid side, Antoine Griezmann has not been as impressive as he was last season. Struggling in the initial parts of the season, the Frenchman started showing his class ever since the start of 2018.

With 17 goals so far this season, Griezmann is the 4th highest scorer in the league (along with Cristhian Stuani) and his goals and performances, especially in the second half of the season have ensured that Los Rojiblancos are still ahead of their rivals Real Madrid on the league table.

Not only has the Frenchman scored goals, he has also contributed with 8 assists making him one of the most valuable players in the league this season. Having been heavily linked with Barcelona in the past few weeks, it will be interesting to see where the Atletico Madrid superstar will be playing next season.

#5 Casemiro (Rating 7.53) - Real Madrid

Levante v Real Madrid - La Liga
Casemiro's battling performances are crucial for Real Madrid

Real Madrid is a team full of superstars. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, and even Luka Modric always get all the plaudits, but a player who is perhaps just as crucial for Madrid's successes in the last few years is Brazilian midfielder Casemiro.

Often flying into tackles and doing the dirty work on the pitch, Casemiro's presence in midfield enables the likes of Kroos and Modric to play with a bit more freedom. Like his team, Casemiro also started the season slowly, but he has slowly picked up the pace and has been one of the most consistent performers for Los Blancos this season.

While the 26-year-old is known more for the defensive aspect of his game, this season he has also scored 4 goals and assisted 3 more in his 24 league appearances so far. While the race for the league title might be over, Madrid and Casemiro will be hoping to continue their resurgence and overhaul Atletico Madrid in the race to finish 2nd.

#4 Toni Kroos (Rating 7.56) - Real Madrid

Real Madrid v Villarreal - La Liga
Toni Kroos is undoubtedly one of the world's best midfielders

One of the most complete midfielders in world football, Toni Kroos has arguably taken his game to new heights ever since he made the move to Real Madrid from Bayern Munich. Calm, composed and always assured on the ball, Kroos is the conductor in the midfield who pulls the strings for the Spanish giants.

While the German midfielder has not been as good as he was last season, he still boasts some incredible numbers. The 28-year-old midfield maestro has an amazing 92% pass accuracy while he has also created 49 chances for his team-mates.

Having scored 4 goals and grabbed 6 assists in 21 appearances so far, Kroos will be looking to end the season strongly. The German star is one of Real Madrid's most important players and Zidane will be counting on him as the business end of the season approaches.

#3 Luis Suarez (Rating 7.77) - Barcelona

Malaga v Barcelona - La Liga
Luis Suarez has scored some crucial goals this season

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez might not have looked at his best this season, but there is no point arguing with his numbers. The third highest goalscorer in the league with 21 goals this season, the Uruguayan striker has also contributed with 6 assists.

Tenacious, skilled and extremely determined, the Uruguayan sharpshooter has often shown up when it has mattered the most and scored some crucial goals for the Catalan giants. Having formed an excellent understanding with Lionel Messi, Suarez's presence and hard work has often helped open up space for the Argentine maestro.

Supremely effective and a player capable of regularly producing something out of nothing, Suarez has a happy knack of scoring important and match-winning goals. With the league title all but sewn up for Barcelona, Suarez will be hoping to go on a goalscoring run once again and reclaim the second position from Cristiano Ronaldo in the pichichi race.

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (Rating 8.01) - Real Madrid

Real Madrid v Girona - La Liga
Ronaldo has been on fire in 2018!

Finished. Past his prime. Not one of the world's best. These were the adjectives bandied about to describe Cristiano Ronaldo during the first half of the season. However, the Portuguese superstar has proved to the world once again as to why he is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time.

Having gone an incredible goalscoring streak since the start of 2018, Ronaldo from literally out of nowhere has come to occupy the second place just behind Lionel Messi in the race for the pichichi. Having scored 22 goals in 23 league appearances so far, the 33-year-old has started to find ominous form once again and has scored an incredible 11 goals in his last 5 league appearances.

While Barcelona might be way ahead of Real Madrid in La Liga, the race for the top scorer is well and truly on and one will not put it past Ronaldo to finish as the league's top scorer once again this season.

#1 Lionel Messi (Rating 8.78) - Barcelona

Barcelona v Athletic Club - La Liga
Lionel Messi has arguably taken his game to new heights this season

Was there any doubt as to who would head this list? Lionel Messi has been simply inspirational for Barcelona this season. The Argentine maestro has not only scored a bucketload of goals, he also leads the list when it comes to assists showing how important he is to Ernesto Valverde's side.

Having adapted brilliantly to Valverde's new 4-4-2 formation, the Barcelona 'number 10' has arguably become even more of an overall threat this season, scoring and creating goals with equal ease.

With Real Madrid in blistering form last season and with Neymar departing in the summer transfer window, questions were raised about Barca's chances this season. However, Messi almost single-handedly has answered all those questions and it will be interesting to see just how much longer Messi can maintain this incredible level.

Quick Links

Edited by Shambhu Ajith