Another exciting La Liga season is almost here.

Barcelona will look to defend their title and win the 24th championship in franchise history. Meanwhile, Real Madrid will try and reclaim their greatness with a 33rd La Liga title. Outside of the teams, Spanish soccer fans are fortunate to watch a league that has some of the greatest players in the world.

Here are the top 10 La Liga players heading into this season.

10. Diego Alves

Valencia has one of the best goalkeepers in the league in Diego Alves. The Brazilian net minder kept Valencia in the thick of things last season, but with such little goal support, the team didn't stand a chance. Alves played as many games as Bravo last season, but he faced 30 more shots against. Alves was also the victim to the most penalty kick goals allowed last season, eight.

1. Lionel Messi

He's not just the best player in the league, he's the single best player in the world. Since joining Barcelona in 2004, Lionel Messi has led the team to an incredible seven La Liga championships. Messi is by far the best passer in the game today having led the league with 18 assists last season. Aside from winning and deadly accurate passing abilities, Messi can still find the net at an elite level. He scored 43 goals last season.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1