La Liga has always been the home of some of the finest goalscorers in the world, so football fans are understandably excited to see them all back in action soon.
Karim Benzema took home the Pichichi award last season with ease as he plundered 27 goals which is at least nine more than the rest of the pack.
Since he remains in top form, the Real Madrid talisman is being backed once again by the La Liga 2022 odds for the said award, but he’ll certainly face some stiff competition given the abundance of talent in the Spanish top-flight.
With so many to choose from, join us today as SBOTOP picks out the potential winners who you wouldn’t necessarily pick as the favourites but have the capability to do so.
Juanmi
Juanmi’s €8-M transfer back in 2019 is suddenly looking like a huge bargain for Real Betis as he finally realised his potential in 2021/22.
After an injury-riddled stretch in his first two years with Los Verdiblancos, he surprised everyone last season when he notched 20 goals across all competitions, with 16 of them in La Liga – good for fifth in the Golden Boot race.
The 29-year-old forward has formed a fruitful partnership with Borja Iglesias, Nabil Fekir, and Sergio Canales and was a key reason why Real Betis won their first Copa del Rey since 2005 and why they’re returning to the Europa League next term with their fifth place finish.
There’s higher expectations for Real Betis next season and they can only go to as far Juanmi takes them, but he should be a contender in the Golden Boot race nonetheless if he stays healthy.
Angel Correa
Angel Correa topping Atletico Madrid’s scoring charts last season is not by coincidence since he has improved tremendously in these past few seasons.
Before recording 12 goals and five assists last term (good for ninth in the La Liga Golden Boot race), the Argentine forward hasn’t always featured in the starting lineup under Diego Simeone.
Atletico Madrid have a bevy of top strikers. But with Luis Suarez, Joao Felix, and Antoine Griezmann held out from time to time, that gave Correa the opportunity to shine up front.
Although they were unsuccessful in their title defence last season, Atletico Madrid’s foreseeable future is in good hands with Angel Correa.
Vinicius Junior
While Karim Benzema gets majority of the plaudits after a world-class campaign last term, let’s not forget his partner up front.
Like Benzema, Vinicius Junior was also a vital cog for Los Blancos as he scored 17 goals and 10 assists in La Liga – which is good for third in the Golden Boot rankings.
The Brazilian winger was also the reason why they’ve won the Champions League final against Liverpool since he scored the only goal of the match during the 59th minute when he chipped the ball past Allisson.
Vinicius Junior is only 21 years old and he still has a long career ahead of him. He just signed a new extension with the club until 2026 with a mammoth €1-B release clause inserted into his contract.
Inaki Williams
Inaki Williams may not be as prolific as the other guys in this list, but his durability might just help him make a strong case for the Pichichi next term. Last season, he notched eight goals and five assists for Athletic Bilbao.
The 28-year-old forward was dubbed as the iron man of football since he hasn’t missed a single match for six years and counting. And their new head coach, former Barcelona mentor Ernesto Valverde, has high expectations for him come August.
In their club friendly last night, he scored against VfL Bochum en route to a 4-1 victory which should give him more confidence.
Besides Athletic Bilbao, Williams is expected to star for Ghana in the upcoming World Cup this November after switching nationalities.
Robert Lewandowski
It’s hard to believe that we’re considering Robert Lewandowski a sleeper candidate for the La Liga Golden Boot award for 2022/23.
After all, the Pole was a goalscoring machine with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, scoring an incredible 344 goals in 375 appearances while bringing home titles along the way.
Lewa will lead a star-studded Barcelona attack that already features Ferran Torres, Ousmane Dembele, Memphis Depay, Ansu Fati, and former BVB teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Yes, he’ll be turning 34 years old this August, but Lewandowski is still very much capable of producing La Liga 2022 highlights and he’ll show what Bayern Munich are going to miss next season.
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