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Barcelona signed off 2018 on a high note with a convincing 2-0 win over Celta de Vigo with goals from the ever-present Lionel Messi and France international Ousmane Dembele. After match-day 17, Barca sits at the top of the league just three points higher than second-placed Atletico Madrid.
After looking unconvincing and inconsistent over the initial three months of the season, Barcelona seems to have found their rhythm back. The defense, which started the season on a shaky note, appear to have settled down properly.
Barcelona scored a total of 147 goals over the year. In this article, we will see who are top scorers for Barcelona in 2018.
#5 Gerard Piqué: 7 goals
Piqué sits at the fifth position on the list with seven goals to his name. He struggled a lot with his form in 2018 and had difficulties staying on top of his game, but lately, his play has greatly improved.
Whenever the team needed him, he stepped up in the attack. It is not unusual to see Piqué running up front as the game comes to an end. These numbers are way too good for a center back. He is, no doubt, an integral part of the team, which relies a lot on him in the defensive department.
#4 Ousmane Dembélé: 14 goals
Dembélé is 4th on the list with 14 goals to his name in 2018. During the last few months of 2018, he was center of negative media attention. There were a number of reports of him being late in training.
The good news is that Dembélé seems to be learning from his mistakes. He has shown a lot of improvement lately, tracking back more and working hard for the ball.
His start to 2018 was not as expected: He got injured in January which effectively put him out of action for about a month. Unfortunately, this injury was just 15 days after he recovered from a thigh muscle rupture which forced him to sidelines for 106 days.
Thankfully, all is well that ends well. He has found fine form, showing the professional attitude both on and off the pitch and scoring a lot of goals.
#3 Philippe Coutinho: 15 goals
When Dembélé got a long-term injury during his first La Liga start, Barca suddenly had a lot of holes to fill in the attack. Forced into buying an attacking midfielder/winger in the winter transfer window, Coutinho arrived Camp Nou as a panic signing.
It didn't take long for Coutinho to adapt to Barcelona's unique style of football. In fact, from his very first game, Coutinho played as though he had always been at Barcelona. Hitting 15 goals so far, Coutinho takes the third position on this list.
He may have regressed a bit lately, but hopefully, he will find his form soon. Notwithstanding, Coutinho was an incredible addition to the team.
#2 Luis Suárez: 32 goals
Luis Suárez will be 32 next month, but age has not stopped him. He may have lost some of his finishing skills, but he has grown more as a team player.
Even when he is not on the score sheet, Suárez contributes effectively in other ways as well: His off-the-ball movement enhances the team's play; He makes quick runs into the box, allowing lots of space for Messi to operate.
Even after a poor 2018 based on his standards, 32 goals to his name shows how brilliant Suárez is. His highlight of 2018 was hat-trick against arch-rivals Real Madrid.
In the latter half of 2018, when Messi was out for four weeks due to an injury, Suarez led the attack and scored a lot of crucial goals.
Suarez also became the 6th highest scorer for FC Barcelona, surpassing Paulinho Alcantara.
#1 Lionel Messi: 48 goals
Who else other than Messi will be at the top of the chart? The diminutive magician scored 48 goals in 2018. He single-handedly led Barcelona to an almost invincible season. Coincidentally, Barcelona lost the only game he missed.
It would not be an overstatement to say that when Messi was out of the form, Barcelona looked quite lost. We can gauge Barcelona's dependence on Messi by considering the stat that Messi was involved in nearly half of the goals Barcelona scored.
Now a crucial second half of 2018-19 season awaits for Barcelona and fans will be hoping that the little genius continues to weave his magic.
