La Liga Top Goal Scorer 2016-17: Predicting Pichichi Front-Runners; Messi, Ronaldo, Suarez, Neymar & Griezmann Top Contenders
A year ago Luis Suarez shocked the world by topping Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the top scorer in the Spanish League.
For years that was the domain of the world's top players but with the trend now broken there is an ample opportunity to see someone new take the crown as Spain most prolific goal scorer. Here is a look at the potential candidates to win the Pichichi in 2016-17.
Luis Suarez
Let's stick with the reigning champ of the trophy. He finished La Liga last season with 40 goals, scoring on nearly 30 percent of the shots he took. That is far higher than his career average of 17 percent dating back in 2010-11. Of course he was being set up by Messi and Neymar all season long and will remain in his prime heading into next year.
Antoine Griezmann
The Frenchman finished with 22 goals this season which was a far cry from Messi, Ronaldo and Suarez but he still looked dominant and seems to be improving. At 25 he is only starting to enter his prime and is likely good for far more goals than last season. Unlike Suarez and Ronaldo, he can create his own chances and scored at a rate of 24 percent.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo loves scoring goals and is arguably the best in the world at doing just that. He had a "down" year in 2015-16, scoring only 35 goals, but Ronaldo gets a lot of chances and scored 48 goals very recently. He is good for another 30-40 goals at least in 2016-17 unless the recent injury he suffered truly sets him back.
Lionel Messi
Messi also had a "down" year in 2015-16, scoring only 26 goals. Yet he only played 33 matches and was often provider for Suarez. If Suarez suffered any injury, he would be the go-to guy in terms of scoring and is capable of scoring 30-40 goals at will.
Gareth Bale
With Ronaldo's current status unknown, Bale becomes Madrid's main man. He hit 19 goals last season as the second fiddle and did struggle to stay in shape with only 23 appearances. But Bale has a knack for taking it up a notch when Ronaldo is out for extended periods and could find himself surging into a 30-40 goal force.
Neymar
Lost in Suarez's great year was Neymar's superlative scoring for Barcelona. He put up 24 goals a year ago and is still only 24. He could easily become the scoring force for Blaugrana as well.