Top Contenders for the LaLiga Golden Boot: January 2019

Hello and Welcome back to our assessment of the race to the Pichichi Trophy for the month of January 2019. Let us start by wishing all our readers a very happy and prosperous new year ahead.

The race to the LaLiga Golden Boot took a few predictable turns in the month of December, including one at the top of the pile. However, what is shocking is the continued absence of a Real Madrid player among the contenders!

Also Read: Top Contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot: December 2018

La Liga went into the Winter Break from 23rd December until 3rd January 2019. Some of the players will be raring to go by then, by virtue of a fantastic end to the year. Others will be hoping for better luck in the new year, as the month of December had not been kind to quite a few of our contenders.

Before the football resumes again, let us take a look at the top Contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot at the start of the new year.

#10 Ousmane Dembele (France, Barcelona)

FC Barcelona v RC Celta de Vigo - La Liga

Goals Scored - 7

The Frenchman continues at the 10th place, tied on goals and goals per game with Pablo Sarabia of Sevilla FC. However, Dembele has a better goals per minute ratio, which sees him finish ahead of the Spaniard in this list. The Barcelona forward had a pretty decent December, scoring 2 goals from 4 games.

Dembele started the month with the game against Villareal, where he played the full 90 minutes for only the second time in the League this season. He finished the game with an assist, but could not find the back of the net himself.

However, he was on form in the following game, scoring one and setting up another as Barcelona scored 4 past Espanyol. He could not add to his tally against Levante but scored once more against Celta de Vigo in the last game of the year.

The Frenchman has mostly played on the left side of the front three this season and majority of his goals have come when starting from that position. Dembele now has 7 goals from 16 games in La Liga and 10 goals from 22 games for Barcelona in all competitions.

He has already bettered his return from last season and should have a strong second half of the season. At the start of the new year, Ousmane Dembele is 10th among the top contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot.

#9 Borja Iglesias (Spain, Espanyol)

Goals Scored - 8

Even though the Spaniard is still among the top contenders, he has slipped down dangerously from 7th at the start of December. This is because Borja failed to add to his tally in December, as Espanyol lost all 4 games in the month.

Borja started all 4 games but had very little impact. Espanyol lost against Getafe, Barcelona, Real Betis and Athletico Madrid on a row. They have now lost 6 consecutive games and are 14 in the league.

The Spaniard attempted 7 shots in those 4 games, with just 2 of them on target and failed to score a goal in the entire month. As a result, he is still on 8 goals from 17 games now and is averaging a goal every 174 minutes so far. Unless the Spaniard improves in the new year, he might fall out of the race. At the start of January 2019, Borja Iglesias is 9th among the top contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot.

#8 Andre Silva (Portugal, Sevilla FC)

Goals Scored - 8

Andre Silva started the season with a lot of promise but the goals have dried up at the end of the year. He failed to score in October, then scored 1 goal in 3 games in November. This meant that he needed a strong December to stay among the leaders of the race. Unfortunately, the month was not kind to him.

He started the month away to Alaves, where his goal drought continued. Subsequently, the Portuguese failed to find the back of the net in the next 3 games and ended December without any goals. He now has 9 goals from 22 games this season for Sevilla and in La Liga, he has scored 8 goals from 16 appearances.

Silva is now averaging a goal every 171 minutes and has registered 32 shots in La Liga, 19 of which have been on target. Ironically, he had just one shot in the whole of December and for the player who was tipped to set LaLiga on fire, reality has caught up fast. At the start of January, the Portuguese is 8th among the contenders for the LaLiga Golden Boot and is sliding dangerously away from the competition.

#7 Maximiliano Gomez (Uruguay, Celta de Vigo)

Goals Scored - 8

The Uruguayan has climbed one place up from the 8th position he was at during the start of December. Maximiliano Gomez has been a part of the top ten contenders for a few months now, however, he has not been able to assert his authority among his competitors. The ankle injury he picked up in November has not helped his cause either.

Gomez drew a blank in the first game of the month against Huesca at home. However, he redeemed himself against Villarreal, scoring the all-important third goal in a 3-2 win away from home. Sadly, he did not find the back of the net in the next two games, against Leganes and Barcelona and ended December with 1 goal from 4 games.

Even though he has scored 8 goals from 15 games, Gomez averages a goal every 155 minutes so far this season. He has registered 23 shots so far, 14 of which have been on target. At the start of the new year, Maximiliano Gomez is 7th in the race to the La Liga Golden Boot.

#6 Wissam Ben Yedder (France, Sevilla FC)

Sevilla v Ujpest - UEFA Europa League Second Qualifying Round: 1st leg

Goals Scored - 8

The Frenchman has scored just 1 goal since our last assessment, but a better goals per game ratio sees him climb up the ranks from 7th at the start of December to 6th here.

After scoring against Alaves, Ben Yedder drew a blank against Valencia and Girona. However, the stage was set for him to end the year on a high. Against Leganes in the last game of the year, Sevilla were a goal down as early as the 5th minute. Their miseries compounded at the stroke of half-time, when Franco Vazquez was shown a straight red.

Sevilla tried their best in the second half but found it hard to break down a resolute Leganes defence. When it looked like they were destined for their 4th defeat of the season in the league, Ben Yedder scored in the first minute of injury time and earned them a valuable away point.

The Frenchman now has 8 goals from 14 games and is averaging a goal every 127 minutes. He has registered 30 shots so far, 14 of which have been on target. At the start of January, Ben Yedder is 6th in the race to the La Liga Golden Boot.

#5 Roger Marti (Spain, Levante)

Roger Marti is slipping away from the race

Goals Scored - 8

The Spanish Striker has failed to find the back of the net since our last assessment and is holding on to his rank only by virtue of better goals per minute ratio. Roger Marti played 3 games in December and scored just one goal, in the 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at the start of December.

Marti started in the 4-4 draw away at Eibar but could not find the back of the net. He then watched from the bench as his side were dismantled 5-0 by a rampant Barcelona side. The Spaniard returned to the starting line up against Real Vallecano but failed to score again, as his side slumped to a 2-1 defeat.

The Spaniard has attempted just 28 shots in the 14 games he has played so far, but 17 of those have been on target. Due to his recent decline in form, he is now averaging a goal every 124 minutes played. At the start of the new year, Roger Marti is 5th among the top contenders for the LaLiga Golden Boot.

#4 Iago Aspas (Spain, Celta de Vigo)

Real Sociedad v RC Celta de Vigo - La Liga

Goals Scored - 10

Iago Aspas has been sporadic in his goal scoring this season. He started the season with 5 goals in his first 6 games, however, he had to go through a little drought next, where he just managed 3 goals in the next seven games. But the Spaniard is still in the thick of things in the race to become the top scorer of La Liga, even though he has dropped down from second last month.

Aspas started the month on a high, scoring both goals in the 2-0 win over minnows SD Huesca. But he failed to find the back of the net again in the next 3 games as Celta Vigo won against Villareal, drew against Leganes and lost the last game of the year to Barcelona.

The Spaniard's habit of scoring irregularly has hurt both his team and his chances to finish at the top of the pile. However, with half of the season still left, Aspas will be hoping for a better run of games to make it tight at the top.

As of now, the Spaniard has scored 10 goals from 17 games in La Liga and has attempted 31 shots, 20 of which has been on target. At the start of the new year, Aspas is 4th in the race to the La Liga Golden Boot.

#3 Luis Suarez (Uruguay, Barcelona)

Goals Scored - 11

The Uruguayan had a decent month of December, where he scored 2 goals in 3 games and climbed up from 4th last month. Suarez has been in good form recently and has helped Barcelona return to the top of La Liga in December.

Suarez missed the first game of the month, a 2-0 victory over Villareal at home, with a knee injury. He returned in the following game, away at Espanyol and scored as his team won 4-0. The Uruguayan scored again in the next game against Levante as Barcelona won 5-0. Even though he played the entire 90 minutes in the last game of 2018, at home to Celta de Vigo, Suarez could not add to his tally.

With 11 goals from 16 games, Luis Suarez has been in fine form this season and should continue his goalscoring heroics in the new year as well. The Uruguayan has attempted 44 shots so far, 26 of which have been on target. He is currently 3rd among the top contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot.

#2 Cristhian Stuani (Uruguay, Girona FC)

Goals Scored - 11

Cristhian Stuani failed to score since our last assessment and as a result has dropped down from the top of the pile to second position. He has also fallen a little behind of the man at the top and is second by virtue of a better goals per game ratio.

The Uruguayan started the month with a goal against Atletico Madrid that earned his team a well-deserved draw at home. However, Stuani failed to score in the next three games since then, away to Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla FC and at home to Getafe. Incidentally, Girona lost 2 of those 3 games. It is also the first time this season that the Uruguayan has gone 3 games without scoring and as such, he will be desperate to get back to his regular habit in the new year.

Stuani has now scored 11 goals from 15 games and is having a phenomenal season so far. Even though he has slowed down in December, it might be just a minor hitch in the road and he should recuperate soon. The Uruguayan has registered 28 attempts, 17 of which has been on target. At the start of the new year, Stuani is the second favourite to end the season as La Liga's top goal scorer, however, the man at the top will take some catching.

#1 Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona)

Goals Scored - 15

Lionel Messi had started December in third position, behind Aspas and Stuani, yet his abilities were never in doubt. True to his nature, the Argentinean has mounted a fantastic return to make the distance between him and the rest of the competitors at the top of the race. Messi had a brilliant December, where he showed his class and shut up a lot of jealous old men who were questioning his abilities.

The Argentinean is never away from the action and even though he failed to score in the first game of the month, against Villarreal at home, he picked up an assist. In the next game against Espanyol, he scored a fantastic brace, but in reality, he had just warmed up.

It was Levante's turn next, who were blown away by the magic of the little genius. Messi scored a hattrick and set up the other two goals as Barcelona demolished their opponents 5-0. The Argentinean ended the year with a goal and an assist in the 2-0 win over Celta de Vigo.

Lionel Messi has now scored 15 goals from 15 games so far this season, including 6 goals from 4 games in December! He has registered 59 shots - the highest in the league - and has 36 shots on target - once again, the highest in the league. The Argentine is well on course to grab a record-equaling 6th Pichichi Trophy by the end of the season and at the start of the new year, is the No. 1 Contender for the La Liga Golden Boot.