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Hello and Welcome back to our assessment of the race to the La Liga Golden Boot at the start of December. The last month has seen a lot of action and most contenders from out last assessment have maintained their performance to continue to be in the race at the start of this month. The only player who misses out is Pablo Sarabia, who has failed to score in the league and drops away from the list by way of a lesser goals per game ratio.
Also Read - Top Contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot: November 2018
In a change from October, the list is no longer dominated by Sevilla, as Sarabia's absence means that they have two players in the list, the same as Celta de Vigo. Barcelona takes over the mantle instead, and the Catalans now have as many as three players in this list. The 10 players here have now scored a total of 82 goals in the La Liga so far this season, but who enters the list for the first time and which players retain their positions from last month? Read on to find out the top 10 contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot at the start of December.
#10 Ousmane Dembele (France, Barcelona)
Goals Scored - 5
The Frenchman's career has failed to kick off ever since the move to the Nou Camp from Borussia Dortmund. A loss of form, coupled with injuries and lack of chances has restricted Dembele's development at Barcelona. Last season, the Frenchman appeared just 17 times in the league, out of which he was in the starting eleven just 12 times. He scored 3 goals in La Liga and 4 goals from 24 games in all competitions last season.
This season, Dembele has stayed fit so far and looks to be in better shape. In La Liga, he started in the first 7 games back to back, scoring 3 goals. Since then, he came off the bench in 5 games, scoring twice. He was in the starting eleven again last weekend against Villareal, but could not find the back of the net. The Frenchman has 5 goals and 2 assists from 13 appearances so far in the League; and 7 goals and 4 assists in 18 games in all competition.
In La Liga, Dembele averages a goal every 148 minutes and has recorded 21 shot so far, with 11 of those on target. At the start of December, he is 10th in the race to the La Liga Golden Boot and he appears in this list for the first time this season.
#9 Maximiliano Gomez (Uruguay, Celta de Vigo)
Goals Scored - 7
After dropping down to 10th in the rankings at the start of October, the Uruguayan left himself with a lot to do in November. And Gomez did just that upto the start of December, climbing to 9th position again. He had missed the last two games of October with an ankle injury, so when he returned at the start of November, he was on the bench against Real Betis.
The Uruguayan came off the bench and scored 2 goals in 29 minutes. He started the following game against Real Madrid, but failed to get on the scoresheet. He came off the bench in the next game against Real Sociedad, scoring his team's only goal in a 2-1 loss. Last weekend, he started in the home win over Huesca, but could not find the back of the net.
Gomez currently has 7 goals and 4 assists from 12 games in La Liga. He averages a goal every 139 minutes and has recorded 17 shots so far, out of which 12 were on target. At the start of December, Maximiliano Gomez is 9th among the contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot.
#8 Wissam Ben Yedder (France, Sevilla FC)
Goals Scored - 7
Even though the Frenchman had a better month compared to October, Ben Yedder's slide towards the bottom of the pile has not stopped. He has slipped from 7th last month to 8th here. He now has 7 goals from 11 games in La Liga and 11 goals from 20 games in all competitions.
The Frenchman was rested against Real Sociedad at the start of November. In the next game, he came off the bench at the start of the second half against Espanyol and scored the winner in the 89th minute. Even though he failed to find the back of the net in the following game against Real Valladolid, he was back among the goals against Alaves last weekend.
In La Liga, Ben Yedder has recorded 25 shots, out of which 13 have been on target. He is 8th among the top contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot at the start of December.
#7 Borja Iglesias (Spain, Espanyol)
Goals Scored - 8
The Spanish Striker continues to improve, backing up a fabulous October with another superb November. This has seen him rise from 9th last month to 7th in this list.
Borja scored 3 goals from 3 games in November. He started by scoring the only goal in the 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, then scored again in the loss to Sevilla in the following game. After the International Break, the Spaniard scored Espanyol's only goal in the loss to Girona.
Last weekend, he failed to score against Getafe, missing out for the first time in 6 games, a span where he has scored 6 goals. Borja has now scored 8 goals from 14 games in La Liga. He is averaging a goal every 145 minutes played and has attempted 31 shots, 22 of which have been on target. At the start of December, the Spaniard is 7th in the race to the La Liga Golden Boot.
#6 Andre Silva (Portugal, Sevilla FC)
Goals Scored - 8
The Portuguese continues his struggle in La Liga after a fantastic start to the season. However, he had a slightly better month compared to October where he had failed to score in the 3 games. This time, Silva did manage to find the back of the net once, but has still slipped down from 5th at the start of October to 6th now.
Silva missed the game against Real Sociedad at the start of November with a hamstring injury. He returned to the starting eleven against Espanyol, but failed to score again. After the International Break, Silva finally got back his scoring boots, getting the only goal in a 1-0 win over Real Valladolid. Last weekend, the Portuguese failed to find the back of the net yet again. He has now scored just 1 goal in the last 6 games.
Andre Silva now has 8 goals from 13 games in La Liga, where he is averaging a goal every 139 minutes. He has registered 31 shots, 19 of which have been on target. He is currently 6th among the contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot at the start of December.
#5 Roger Marti (Spain, Levante)
Goals Scored - 8
The Spaniard has climbed up the list thanks to his continued good form in the league. Marti was 6th in our assessment at the start of November and after scoring twice in November, is now 5th among the top contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot at the start of December.
Marti failed to find the back of the net in the first two games in November, one of which he started from the bench, but returned to goal scoring form after the International Break. He started the fightback that ultimately won Levante a point against Huesca in the 2-2 away draw. Last weekend, he scored in the 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.
Roger Marti now has 8 goals from 12 games. He is averaging a goal every 106 minutes and has registered 23 shots in La Liga, 13 of which have been on target.
#4 Luis Suarez (Uruguay, Barcelona)
Goals Scored - 9
Suarez has continued in his place at the 4th position in the race.After a hat-trick against Real Madrid at the end of October, the Uruguayan started November on similar note, scoring a brace against Rayo Vallecano, helping Barcelona seal a hard fought 3-2 win. In the following game against Real Betis, Suarez failed to score, as Barcelona endured a disappointing 3-4 defeat at home.
After the International Break, the Uruguayan failed to find the back of the net against Athletico Madrid. Last week, he picked up a knee injury in the Champions League tie against PSV Eindhoven, which kept him out of last weekend's game against Villareal. The Uruguayan is expected to be out until the middle of December with the injury, meaning that he might lose vital ground in this race.
Suarez has scored 9 goals from 13 games in La Liga and has recorded 36 shots so far, 22 of which have been on target. He averages a goal every 122 minutes this season, and at the start of December is 4th in the race to the La Liga Golden Boot.
#3 Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona)
Goals Scored - 9
Messi was 3rd in the race in our last assessment and he has continued at the same position at the start of December. The Argentinean missed the first game in November, against Rayo Vallecano, as he recovered from a forearm fracture. After returning from injury before the International Break, Messi struck twice in the game against Real Betis, but could not save Barcelona from a humiliating 4-3 defeat at home. He picked up an assist each in the next two games, against Athletico Madrid and Villareal, but failed to find the back of the net.
The Argentinean now has 9 goals from 12 games in La Liga and 15 goals from 16 games in all competitions. He also has registered 9 assists already so far. In La Liga this season so far, Messi is averaging a goal every 107 minutes. He has also registered 45 shots so far, the most in La Liga. 26 of those have been on target, once again, the most in the league. However, it has not been enough to take him to the top of the race as of now.
Lionel Messi is currently 3rd in the race to the La Liga Golden Boot at the start of December, but you cannot rule the Argentinean out, just yet.
#2 Iago Aspas (Spain, Celta de Vigo)
Goals Scored - 10
The Spaniard has managed to secure his position in the second place from last month. Aspas has scored twice since out last assessment to stay hot on heels of the man at the top of the race.
After a hat-trick at the end of October, Aspas failed to find the back of the net in the three games in November, first the 3-3 draw with Real Betis, then the 2-4 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid where he picked up an assist and finally in the 2-1 defeat against Real Sociedad. Last weekend though, he scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Huesca. He now has 10 goals from 14 games in La Liga and 11 goals from 15 games in all competitions.
Aspas has registered 27 shots in La Liga so far, 18 of which have been on target. He is currently averaging a goal every 120 minutes and is currently 2nd in the race to the La Liga Golden Boot.
#1 Cristhian Stuani (Uruguay, Girona)
Goals Scored - 11
The Uruguayan has shown no signs of stopping so far this season. Stuani has stayed put at the top of the pile for the second month running and he has done it in style. He missed the first game of the month against Valencia as he was recovering from Adductor problems. Stuani returned just before the International Break in the game against Leganes, but failed to score.
After the International Break though, the Uruguayan was back with a bang, scoring a brace in the 3-1 win over Espanyol. Last weenend, Stuani scored in the 1-1 draw with Athletico Madrid. The Uruguayan now has 11 goals in 12 games this season and has averaged a goal every 85 minutes, the best in La Liga. He has registered 25 shots, 15 of which have been on target.
At the start of December, Cristhian Stuani is the top contender for the La Liga Golden Boot. The fact that he has managed to give Lionel Messi a fierce competition so far this season is commendable and the Uruguayan deserves much credit for being exceptional so far. But can he continue his progress till the end of the season? Only time will tell.
Join us again next month, as we assess the developments over the turn of the year and find out how out competitors have fared at the end of 2018. Till then, Goodbye!
