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A new season of La Liga football is upon us and 20 teams will battle it out for glory in Spain's top-flight over the next year.
The Primera Division is home to some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. These three teams will be among the forerunners to emerge as champions, come the end of the campaign.
There are also some clubs below the top-tier like Sevilla, Villarreal and Valencia who all have the potential to add extra drama to the upper echelons of the table.
Beyond the teams, La Liga has been home to some truly world-class talent in attack over the years and some of the very best forwards in history have graced the Spanish top-flight.
Lionel Messi's unexpected departure from La Liga has opened up a world of opportunities for the current forwards to claim top spot after over a decade of dominance by the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.
The new La Liga season will provide plenty of excitement and the race for the Golden Boot could go down to the wire in Messi's absence.
Some forwards differentiate themselves from their peers with their uncanny knack of regularly finding the back of the net, and they will once again be raring to go in front of goal this season.
On that note, here are the
Top 5 forwards to watch in the 2021-22 La Liga season.
Honorable mentions: Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona), Youssef EN-Nesyri (Sevilla)
#5 Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo)
Iago Aspas came through the Celta Vigo academy before embarking on a sojourn to Liverpool in the Premier League.
His spell at Anfield was wholly underwhelming and he remains infamous for his atrocious corner kick that led to Chelsea derailing Liverpool's title hopes in 2014.
A return to La Liga with his boyhood club has helped Aspas rediscover his best form and the 34-year-old has played some of the best football of his career in the last few years.
Celta Vigo are arguably a club most dependent on one player in La Liga and the Galician club are simply not the same without their talisman.
Iago Aspas regularly ranks among the highest-scoring Spanish players in La Liga, while his set-piece ability and vision also sees him provide assists frequently for his teammates.
The former Sevilla man has scored 103 goals and provided 37 assists in 198 La Liga matches in his second stint with Celta. Fans of the club will be banking on him ahead of what promises to be another testing season for the Balaidos outfit.
#4 Gerard Moreno (Villarreal)
Gerard Moreno was the highest-scoring Spanish player in La Liga last season, with his 23 league goals seeing him finish behind only the great Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race.
Considering Messi's immense talent, there is no shame in that and the 29-year-old will fancy his chances of going one step higher this term.
Moreno has been the driving force behind Villarreal's ascent in recent years, culminating in their UEFA Europa League triumph in 2021. This saw him head into the European Championship with high expectations on his shoulder.
Things did not, however, go to plan for the former Espanyol man and he had a mixed display at Euro 2020.
He will be keen to get that behind him and lead the Yellow Submarines' quest to continue their upward trajectory.
#3 Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid)
La Liga giants Barcelona have made mind-boggling decisions on end in the last few years and one of the strangest was allowing Luis Suarez to join a direct title rival last year.
The Uruguay international instantly exposed the folly of that decision by firing Atletico Madrid to La Liga glory in his first season at the Wanda Metropolitano. Suarez scored 21 league goals in his debut season in the capital, including the goal which sealed the title for Los Colchoneros.
Having proved his critics wrong with his display last season, the onus is now on Luis Suarez to once again lead Atletico Madrid's charge to retain their title, as well as their European quest.
Judging by his tenacity throughout his career, the 34-year-old is undoubtedly up to the task.
#2 Sergio Aguero (Barcelona)
Sergio Aguero's arrival at Barcelona promised a potentially devastating link-up with his international team-mate and friend Lionel Messi.
However, that will not be the case and Messi's departure has placed an extra burden on Sergio Aguero.
The 33-year-old is among a number of players who have to step up their displays in Messi's absence to soften the impact of the icon's departure from Camp Nou.
Beyond stepping up in Messi's absence, Sergio Aguero also finds himself at a peculiar point in his career.
The 33-year-old has attained greatness in his career and has nothing else to prove. However, the last few seasons have been injury-plagued, which limited his impact at Manchester City.
Doubts have been raised about whether the Argentina international still has it in him to perform on the highest stage. However, having dominated La Liga earlier in his career, Aguero's return to Spain offers him an opportunity to write a new legendary chapter in Camp Nou.
Whether he will stay fit long enough to attain this remains to be seen.
#1 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Karim Benzema was an immediate beneficiary of Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from LaReal Madrid, as it afforded him the opportunity to become the club's talisman.
The Frenchman's output improved exponentially after almost a decade of being in Ronaldo's shadow and he has since re-established his position as one of the best strikers in La Liga and in the world.
In many ways, the 33-year-old could benefit similarly from Lionel Messi's departure from La Liga, as it offers him the chance to become the top dog in the league.
Benzema has been nothing short of exceptional in the last three seasons for Real Madrid and he has often been the difference between success and mediocrity for Los Blancos.
He finished joint-second in the Pichichi race last season and will fancy his chances of winning a maiden La Liga Golden Boot this term.
