Top 5 forwards to watch in the 2021-22 La Liga season
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.
Also See: Fabrizio Romano's Transfer Roundup: Chelsea pushing for major signing, updates on Lukaku and Kane's futures and more