The 20 Best Players in Spain's La Liga Right Now

It's all opinions, but there are plenty of people who believe Spain's La Liga to be the best top flight of football in the world right now.

One thing is for sure, it's certainly home to some of the best talent in the game—Andres Iniesta, Mesut Ozil, Radamel Falcao; the names just roll off the tongue, and to watch them is, at times, to be in the presence of some of the game's true greats.

Form is a wonderful thing, though; it can make the most accomplished players in the game appear sluggish, slovenly and far from their best and can help mere mortals compete with the finest in the game.

The very best, of course, remain in-form and play to their highest capabilities as often as possible.

Here are the 20 best players in La Liga right now.

Ruben Castro

The joint fourth top goalscorer in La Liga at present, Real Betis' Ruben Castro has had a great start to the season.

Playing either through the centre or from the right, he has aided Betis enormously in their impressive fourth-place standing at present.

Ruben is not always hugely involved in a lot of the buildup play, but his work rate and movement has been exceptional. His 24 percent shot conversion rate is none too shabby either.

Willy Caballero

Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Michael Cerna has done a great job here of describing Willy Caballero's rise to No. 1 stopper at Malaga.

Fair to say he has been something of a revelation for the Andalucian club this term and has played every game this season, conceding only 10 goals in his 14 games.

That has helped give Malaga the equal-best defensive record so far.

Pedro Leon

Pedro Leon is back to showing the form which made Real Madrid pay around €10 million for his services back in 2010.

The winger is excelling for Getafe down their right flank and has provided two goals and four assists this season, helping his team into sixth place in the process.

After a stuttering spell in his career over the past few seasons, he looks as though he is back to his best. Pedro Leon might not have the blistering pace of a Callejon, for example, but great team work and a defensive ethic have made him something more than when Real brought him to the club.

Consistency is the watchword for the winger for the remainder of this campaign. And maybe trying not to give the ball away so much.

Antoine Griezmann

Real Sociedad's left winger, Antoine Griezmann, is showing signs of evolving from a great youngster with bags of potential into a top-class senior player.

Though he still frequents the left wing in many matches, Griezmann has made a gradual transition to the centre of Sociedad's final third, either playing as an advanced midfielder or as a forward.

His pace, dribbling and delivery constantly pose problems for opposition defences, and he has weighed in with three goals so far this season.

Arda Turan

Sticking with attacking midfielders for the moment, Arda Turan has had a phenomenal first third of the season for Atletico Madrid and has been a big part of their rise to second in La Liga.

Turan has scored four in the league and claimed two assists, but it is his general all-round game which has impressed.

Constantly involved in build-up play and never afraid to take possession in tight situations, Turan is in great form and is a vital piece of the Atleti machinery.

Martin Demichelis

An ever-present in the Champions League group stage and having missed only one game in La Liga, Martin Demichelis is the rock upon which Malaga's tight defence is built.

Shielding his goalkeeper, the aforementioned Willy Caballero, with ferocity and determination, he has, on average, claimed more than three tackles, two interceptions and six clearances per match.

Over the course of the season, Malaga's defence will become ever more important, with Betis (in fourth, one place ahead of Malaga) having conceded more than double the amount of goals so far.

Demichelis will be every bit as important as his goalkeeper if they are to challenge for a Champions League spot again, as well as enjoy the run in the competition the team is presently on.

Aritz Aduriz

With eight goals to his name, level with Ruben Castro is Aritz Aduriz.

The former Valencia player has taken on the mantle of main striker at struggling Athletic Bilbao with Fernando Llorente marginalised.

While the team are coming to grips with a disappointing season after the double cup final defeats last term, Aduriz is one of the few brighter spots who are keeping the Basque side competitive and winning matches.

He has a strike conversion rate of 24 percent for this season in the league and has added a further strike in the Europa League.

Diego Godin

With Atletico Madrid flying high in second place, it should be no surprise to see another name from their squad make this list.

Diego Godin has been simply imperious in many of his games this season at centre back.

He has made a total of 130 clearances this season, good enough for second place league-wide overall, and has added both a goal and an assist at the other end.

The Uruguayan defender in superb form, and a settled back four has really helped Atletico this season.

Joaquin

Having come a long way from his formative years as an exciting, confident winger at Betis to more than a few struggles at Valencia, Joaquin is now producing arguably the best and most consistent form of his career at Malaga.

Joaquin is now playing from the left or centre almost as often as from the right and is a real creative force for his side.

He leads the entire division for key passes per game with an average of 3.1 (43 for the entire season) and has scored three goals himself so far.

Markel Susaeta

Markel Susaeta has seen his good form of the past two years be rewarded with a call up to the full Spanish national team, and he scored on his debut against Panama in November.

He has been an integral part of Athletic Bilbao's side, providing three assists from the right hand side of midfield.

Consistency and reliability in good performances has not been easy to come by for Bilbao's squad this term, but Susaeta remains one of their star players, and a move to one of Europe's top sides might not be far away if Bilbao cannot reclaim their place as challengers for trophies.

Nacho Camacho

Top 10 now, and the third part of Malaga's excellent side in the defensive and central thirds of the pitch, Nacho Camacho has has a really extraordinary season.

Camacho has been dominant in winning the ball back for Malaga, ranking in the league's top 10 for tackles made, and is in second place for interceptions, averaging 3.6 per match.

In his holding midfield role ahead of the defence, Camacho provides a solid foundation for the more attacking members of the team to try to win games.

Xabi Alonso

Doing for Real Madrid what Nacho does for Malaga is Xabi Alonso.

The experienced central midfielder has been pivotal for his team yet again, a mainstay in the centre which has been chopped and changed rather more than usual this term.

Alonso at his best lets others perform to even higher levels around him, as he finds them with accurate passing from deep and covers them defensively to win back the ball and provide quick turnovers.

Four tackles and almost two interceptions per game show his aptitude for the defensive work, while 25 key passes for the season, two assists and an over 80 percent pass completion rate highlight his ability on the ball.

Isco

Next up is Isco, a prodigiously gifted attacking midfielder who has shone in both La Liga and the Champions League this season.

He has score three goals and provided one assist in the league this term, but is also keen to not shirk his defensive duties.

Isco shows a great work ethic and tremendous movement off the ball to receive possession in dangerous areas. His link up play still needs work, and at times, he tries too much himself, but if that youthful exuberance can be allied to better decision-making as he gains experience, then he will turn out to be some player indeed.

Cesc Fabregas

Far and away the biggest provider of goals in La Liga this season is Barcelona attacking midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

He has claimed nine assists in 14 games, almost double the nearest challenger of anyone outside his own team.

Cesc has found himself in favour under Tito Vilanova, where he did not always start under Pep Guardiola, and has made the most of that with some outstanding individual and team-first performances.

He has also scored five times himself from just 21 shots, as well as successfully completing 89 percent of all his passes in the league this season.

Iago Aspas

Celta Vigo centre forward Iago Aspas has wowed the league this season with some top-notch performances and has hit six goals in the process.

Not only is he the top scorer for his team, but he has also provided the joint-most assists, with his 2.9 key passes per game good enough for second spot in the entire division.

Celta Vigo will likely have their hands full with avoiding relegation this season, but the imperious form of Iago Aspas will go a long way to ensuring they survive if he continues in this vein.

Beñat

Now for the top five, and Beñat of Real Betis is a certain inclusion.

His rise to one of the top midfielders in La Liga has seen him dominate games on the ball from his deep role, averaging more than 50 passes per game and claiming five assists so far—he is one of only two non-Barcelona players to reach that landmark this term.

Beñat has also scored three goals, but his worth is certainly in the build-up and construction of chances for his team rather than scoring himself.

Andres Iniesta

Despite having missed a portion of this season with injury, Andres Iniesta has returned once more to prove himself as one of the top players in world football.

For an attacking midfielder, his on-the-ball footwork, vision and movement are top drawer as expected, but he allies this to a terrific work rate, complete selflessness and the capacity to play in multiple positions.

Cesc might have claimed more assists so far, but Iniesta has six himself from only seven starts in the league and has a higher pass completion rate, makes more key passes per game and runs with the ball more often.

Iniesta is at his peak and is possibly the best attacking midfielder in the world now.

Radamel Falcao

Anybody who averages near or above a goal per game in Spain's top flight is going to be both an excellent player and an in-demand one, and Radamel Falcao fits the profile perfectly.

Though he has gone off the boil in goalscoring terms just a little in recent weeks, with one goal in his last five games, the Colombian still has 11 this season in 13 games and is one of the main reasons Atletico Madrid currently sit in second place.

The fact Falcao has just two goals less than Cristiano Ronaldo, having had less than half the number of shots that the Portuguese man has taken, tells you everything about Falcao's prowess in the penalty area.

If Atleti are to make a genuine list of their Champions League place challenge, then this man is key to everything they will do this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo

One and two are no doubt the easiest ones of all to pick for this league.

In second is Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid's top scorer and the second-highest scorer in the league, with 13 goals in 14 games.

Unsurprisingly, Ronaldo has the most shots per game of anybody in the division with an average of 7.2; nobody outside he and the man who tops this particular list have managed even four shots per game.

Ronaldo is the ultimate athlete, a superb technician and has improved tactically to no end over the past few seasons.

Leo Messi

If it's no surprise that Ronaldo has had the most shots in the league, it's even less of a surprise that Lionel Messi has successfully completed the most dribbles (50).

His goalscoring record this season is beyond attempts at description: 21 goals from 13 starts and one substitute appearance.

His 28 percent shot-conversion rate is streets ahead of that of Ronaldo (13 percent), and Messi has chipped in with five assists to boot.

There is no finer player in the world right now, and Leo Messi is most certainly the best player in La Liga.

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