This season has seen the renaissance of Spanish goalscorers in La Liga

As is the case with most major European leagues, the top goalscorers tend not to be from the country in which they ply their trade. La Liga is no different as a certain Argentinian and a certain Portuguese man rule the roost when it comes to the scoring charts. The arrival of top, foreign stars has pushed Spanish strikers further down the pecking order and meant that some had to leave their home country to get an established run in a side.

Two years ago Diego Costa, a recently converted Spaniard, finished 3rd behind Cristiano and Messi but was the only Spanish representative to make the Top 5. He subsequently moved to Chelsea and that meant that last year there weren’t any Spanish players in the Top 5. It was a real problem at international level too as Spain have failed to replace David Villa, opting for the aforementioned Diego Costa but to little success.

Over the last couple of campaigns there has been one familiar name, bubbling beneath the big hitters, and that’s Aritz Aduriz. He scored 16 goals in the 13/14 season and 18 in the 14/15 one. Unfortunately he’s often overlooked because he’s over 30 and he doesn’t play for one of the Big 5 or 6 sides in Spain but his record is deserving of an opportunity at international level. It’s sad to see he only has 1 cap to his name and that came way back in 2010 – a late substitute appearance against Lithuania.

Fast forward to the current day and he’s still keeping pace with Suarez and Cristiano with 7 goals. It’s true that at the age of 34 he’s no spring chicken but his form shows no sign of going away. Plus it’s hard to imagine him doing a worse job than Diego Costa has for Spain. He’s a willing worker, strong and aerially dominant. As an alternative off the bench he could prove crucial in those games where the famous tiki-taka isn’t doing the job but, let’s face it, del Bosque isn’t going to select him even if he scored 50 league goals. Make no mistake though; he most certainly should be in with a chance.

This year Aduriz is surrounded by Spanish forwards, most of them unknown to the casual fan. Imanol Agirretxe has come into the form of his life this season at Real Sociedad and has scored an impressive 8 goals. He only scored 8 last season and 7 in the previous one - both while making over 30 appearances. In a season that’s in danger of imploding after the sacking of David Moyes, Real Sociedad can be grateful it isn’t worse thanks to Agirretxe’s lethal finishing. He’s another that’s very unlikely to enter into del Bosque’s thought process when it comes to selecting his Euro 2016 squad though.

Matching him with 8 goals this season is Rayo Vallencano’s veteran striker Javi Guerra. Much like the previously mentioned Aduriz, he’s somewhat of a late bloomer although two years ago he notched 15 league goals while with Real Valladolid. Cardiff City fans will be forgiven if they don’t remember his 6-month stay in the Championship with them as he only made 5 appearances before securing a move back to Spain in January with Malaga. He made the switch to Rayo this summer and Paco Jemez’s men have won 4 out of the 6 games in which the towering frontman has scored. He’s done a fantastic job in replacing fellow Spaniard Alberto Bueno’s goals for the club.

Another north-of-30 striker with 7 goals to his name is Real Betis’ Ruben Castro. Perhaps, alongside Aduriz again, he’s one of the players whose record shouldn’t surprise us. He scored a whopping 32 goals last season as Betis were promoted back to La Liga. Off the field issues have hampered his chances of ever getting a late call-up for Spain but you’d still expect him to score between 15-20 this season which should be enough to retain Betis’ status in the top division.

Deportivo’s Lucas Perez has turned out to be one of the signings of the summer. The journeyman striker, in every sense of the word, finally returned to Spanish shores with Deportivo after unspectacular stints in the Ukraine and Greece. He joined them at the back end of last season on loan before securing a permanent switch over the summer. For one reason or another it’s just clicked for the guy and his 7 goals have propelled Depor fans into believing a Europa League spot could be theirs. He’s played as the main striker or just behind one and it’s worked to great effect – they’ve yet to lose when Perez has got on the scoresheet.

The last Spanish player on 7 goals is someone that will go to Euro 2016 with Spain, injury permitting, and goes by the name of Nolito. He was very much sought-after this summer as both Valencia and Barcelona were heavily linked with a move for the tricky winger. Interest came but no firm bid was registered so Nolito remained at Celta – and what a start he’s had! His pace and wizardry down the flanks have flummoxed the best fullbacks in the league and alongside Iago Aspas, one behind Nolito on 6 league goals, has formed a very impressive partnership. While a starting spot might not be assured in Euro 2016, his place on the plane most certainly is.

In fact, it’s great news for Spain as 8 of the Top 12 goalscorers this season are Spanish. Not far off those you have youngsters Paco Alcacer and Iñaki Williams who are quickly rising up the table. The former is likely to make the Spain squad after being regularly selected while the latter might have a big role to play in the future if he continues his current trajectory.

The sad part is none of the others mentioned are likely to make Spain’s Euro 2016 squad. Age is a factor for some, unfashionable clubs for others and poor records in previous seasons for the rest. Vicent del Bosque rightly earns a lot of plaudits but his stubbornness and favouritism could turn out to be his downfall. There were lessons to be learnt after the 2014 World Cup and it would be great to see him spring a surprise and pick a player based on form as opposed to name value.

I won’t hold my breath though.