Ranking the Top 10 Strikers in La Liga After the 2014 Transfer Window
With the rise of midfielders in Spain—not to mention the quality the country possesses in that area of the pitch—strikers have been forced to take a back seat.
Meanwhile, more withdrawn forwards like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been able to take the goalscoring plaudits.
There are still good No. 9s in La Liga, though.
Over the following slides, some of the best at the job are listed in descending order, starting at 10 and working toward the top spot.
Goalscoring was of course a contributing factor, but importance to their team and all-round forward play was also vital.
Only out-and-out strikers, per se, are considered, so the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Jese Rodriguez and Carlos Vela have been left out, while Munir El Haddadi's six-month explosion hasn't quite helped him onto the list.
10. Ikechukwu Uche
1 of 10
Marcelino's exciting Villarreal side can often rely on Ikechukwu Uche to provide their goals.
The Nigerian scored 14 times last season—he only started 19 matches—as the Yellow Submarine returned to Europe in their first season back in Spain's top flight.
He's perhaps the one player on this list who is often shifted away from the central position, though, with Giovani Dos Santos often liked as a false nine.
Uche is undoubtedly best through the middle, and with a goal in his only appearance this season already, Marcelino will again be turning to the 30-year-old when Villarreal are looking for a spark.
9. Sergio Garcia
2 of 10
Few strikers are as important to their side as Espanyol captain Sergio Garcia.
The former Barcelona, former ponytail-wearing No. 9 enjoyed his most prolific season for Los Pericos last term, netting 12 times, and has already earned them a point this season with a late equaliser in their opening match against Almeria.
His goals are just a fraction of what he contributes to his side's play, though.
His strength allows him to hold the ball up, while he works the channel and brings other players into play as well—last season he also managed nine assists.
When he is missing, which was only once last season, Espanyol lack something.
At 31, he's not the sort of player that relies on his pace, either, so the Cornella-El Prat fans may well expect a few more years out of their talisman yet.
8. Javier Hernandez
3 of 10
Whether a move from Manchester United, where he developed a reputation as a super-sub, to Real Madrid, where he is likely to once again warm the bench, is right for Javier Hernandez is difficult to say, but it is obvious most La Liga clubs would love to have him in their side.
Still only 26, the Mexican could be Los Blancos' secret weapon this season.
In the 2010/11 season he scored 13 league goals for Man Utd in just a handful of starts, following that up with 10 in each of the next two seasons.
Under David Moyes, he featured more sparingly, however, and Louis van Gaal has not wasted any time in moving him out on loan.
His profile is different to a lot of players on this list—he's lighter and much more of a box player—but he is still very much an out-and-out striker.
7. Paco Alcacer
4 of 10
Relatively new to the scene is Paco Alcacer, who after briefly looking like he might stall has kicked on. On Monday night, he scored his first goal for Spain in La Roja's 5-1 win against Macedonia.
Still just 21, Valencia fans are right to be excited by how far he can go.
After all, this is a club that have been treated to the likes of David Villa, David Silva, Juan Mata, Jordi Alba and Roberto Soldado in recent seasons.
Alcacer, after a fairly disappointing loan spell at Getafe two seasons ago, really came of age in the second half of last season under Juan Antonio Pizzi.
He scored four times as Los Che progressed to the Europa League semifinals and added six goals in 17 La Liga appearances.
The competition provided by Rodrigo and Alvaro Negredo at Valencia should help keep him on his toes.
6. Mario Mandzukic
5 of 10
New to La Liga but not to Europe's top table is Mario Mandzukic, whom Atletico Madrid signed from Bayern Munich this summer.
The tall, powerful Croatian scored 18 times for Bayern last season and 15 the year before. However, he found himself out of favour after the Bavarians brought in Robert Lewandowski from Borussia Dortmund.
Just because he's not wanted by Pep Guardiola's side, though, doesn't mean he won't excel for Diego Simeone's.
At 28, he has a wealth of experience at club and international level, and it's easy to imagine him adapting well to El Cholo's philosophy.
He may not quite be Diego Costa, but he's as good a replacement as Atletico would have been expecting.
5. Aritz Aduriz
6 of 10
Following Fernando Llorente's contract dispute and eventual switch to Juventus, Aritz Aduriz, now 33, has blossomed into the perfect replacement for Athletic Club de Bilbao.
The best thing about him is that he seems to be getting better and better with age.
Used as a bit-part player at Valencia after a successful spell with Mallorca, he never looked to have much more than 10 goals a season in him.
However, in his first season in Bilbao, with Llorente still at the club, he managed 14, and he improved on that last time with 16 as he spearheaded Athletic's fourth-place finish.
Already this season he's looking just as good, if not better.
His performance and two goals in the recent win against Napoli—which saw Ernesto Valverde's men seal their place the Champions League group stages—was close to a perfect striker's performance.
4. Alvaro Negredo
7 of 10
One of the best deals on deadline day last week was Valencia's capture of Alvaro Negredo from Manchester City on loan, with the deal being rubber stamped next summer for a set fee.
'The Beast', as he is nicknamed, is well known to Spanish football fans and should have no problem settling in at the Mestalla.
In the four years before his move to England, he never failed to hit double figures for Sevilla; in his final season in Spain, he even smashed home 25 goals.
Injuries hampered Negredo's initially good form in the Premier League, but once fit again he should be a threat for Los Che attack.
Paco Alcacer and Rodrigo will certainly benefit from training and playing alongside him.
3. Carlos Bacca
8 of 10
If Sevilla fans were disappointed to lose Alvaro Negredo in 2013 and replace him with Carlos Bacca initially, they certainly weren't disappointed by the end of their Europa League-winning season.
The Colombian striker, who used to be a bus conductor in his homeland, averaged more than a goal every other start in La Liga last time out—14 in 27—and hit four in Europe.
And after scoring in Sevilla's recent win against Espanyol, it doesn't look like he's going to go down as a one-season wonder.
Quicker than he looks and really strong, Bacca is everything you look for in a modern day No. 9.
2. Karim Benzema
9 of 10
Karim Benzema rarely has it his own way at Real Madrid.
Sandwiched between Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, he often has to work in the shadows while Madrid's two superstars lap up the praise.
He still managed 17 league goals last season, though, and struck the net a further three times at this summer's World Cup with France.
His link-up play is also key to allowing the likes of Ronaldo to thrive at the Bernabeu, as proven by his nine assists in La Liga last term.
He's already off the mark for the new season and there are few better fits to play that central role in Carlo Ancelotti's side.
1. Luis Suarez
10 of 10
At €81 million, as Sport reported after this week's Soccerex event in Manchester, Barcelona would be right to expect Luis Suarez to top this list.
But it's not just because he cost a lot that he sits in first place, it's the reasons he cost so much.
Despite all the controversy that surrounds him, he still ended last season joint with Cristiano Ronaldo as Europe's top scorer, and he then ended England's World Cup hopes in the summer with a fine brace in a 2-1 victory.
He's due back, courtesy of the script writers, just in time for October's Clasico against Real Madrid.
It shouldn't take long from then for him to not just showcase his goal scoring talent in Spain, but also to treat La Liga fans with his all round impressive forward play.
