LaLiga: 3 best debuts in recent memory
LaLiga kicked off with a bang over the weekend with some shock results, plenty of goals, and new talent on display around the country. While Barcelona and Real Madrid will grab the main headlines, there was another noteworthy story which emerged from the first round of fixtures in the Spanish top flight.
Sevilla's thrashing of new boys, Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio de Vallecas witnessed the LaLiga debut of 22-year-old forward, Andre Silva. The Portuguese star signed on loan for Los Hispalenses this summer following a season at AC Milan.
The forward had moved to I Rossoneri last summer for a fee of €38 million but was deemed surplus to requirements at the San Siro for the new season. The loan deal to Sevilla includes an option to buy for €35 million and following his sensational debut, that could end up representing a canny piece of business from the Andalusian side.
Silva bagged himself a debut hattrick, displaying wonderful movement and finishing abilities throughout the match against Vallecano. The young forward had a brace before halftime and added his third goal late in the second half.
Undoubtedly the individual performance of the weekend, Silva's dream start with his new club ranks as one of LaLiga's best in recent memory.
Below, we look at three other players who enjoyed superb debuts for their LaLiga clubs over the past few years.
#3 Stevan Jovetic for Sevilla Vs Real Madrid (January 2017)
Stevan Jovetic arrived at Sevilla on a short-term loan deal from Inter Milan in the January transfer window of 2017. The ex-Manchester City forward had struggled for game time at the San Siro and was hoping to breathe new life into his career during his time in Spain.
He started his first LaLiga game on the bench as Sevilla took on a Real Madrid side which hadn't lost in 40 games. He had already made an appearance a few days previously in the Copa Del Rey, scoring a goal during a thrilling 3-3 draw against the same opposition.
67 minutes into the league tie and Cristiano Ronaldo cooly scored a penalty to put Los Blancos ahead. Sevilla manager, Jorge Sampaoli wasted no time in introducing his new signing.
Jovetic came on just two minutes later and what followed was an extraordinary comeback which changed that season's title race. Sergio Ramos scored an own goal in the 85th minute much to the delight of the home crowd and leveled the game at 1-1.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Jovetic struck a sensational goal to hand his new team a historic win and end Real Madrid's lengthy unbeaten run.
The Montenegran would go on to make 21 appearances for Sevilla, scoring six times before transferring to Monaco in the summer of 2017.