MY ACCOUNT
Home to European champions Real Madrid, LaLiga is a division packed full of premium talent.
Spain’s top tier may still be searching for new poster boys following the departures of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent years — but superstars are not in short supply on the Iberian peninsula.
As the upcoming campaign draws into view, we take a look at five top players to watch in 2022-23.
Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior scored the winner in last season’s Champions League final, rounding off a year to remember for the Samba starlet.
The 21-year-old netted 17 times in LaLiga and assisted a further 10, with only Iago Aspas (18) and Karim Benzema (27) finding the net on more occasions.
Despite this, there is plenty more to come from the Brazil international.
With Real Madrid failing to land Kylian Mbappe, the Los Blancos ace is a guaranteed starter for coach Carlo Ancelotti.
That status — coupled with the experience he gained in 2021-22 — will only see him improve as a player and his output should increase.
Last term, Vinicius was averaging just 2.67 shots per 90 minutes, ranking 30th in LaLiga for this metric. For comparison, Benzema was averaging 4.44 per 90.
You can expect this to balance out a little next season — and when it does, the goals will surely flow for Real’s No20.
Ferran Torres
Ferran Torres’ underlying numbers for Barcelona are bubbling away nicely and with a pre-season under his belt, he could explode in 2022-23.
The former Manchester City star, 22, finished his maiden campaign in Catalonia with four strikes in 18 league appearances. However, his 6.96 expected goals suggest that he should end up with more this time around.
And after missing a number of opportunities in February’s Europa League clash with Napoli, manager Xavi jumped to the defence of his attacker.
He said: “It happened to Luis Suarez, who seemed to have no goals.
“The Barca shirt weighs a few kilos more. But I am delighted to have him [Torres] in the team and he will give me a lot of joy.
“If he is in the penalty area it is because he will score. He has scored goals all his life and he will have them.
“In training, he is one of those who scores the most. He has our absolute trust. The coaching staff and I will take care of this. He is very strong, self-demanding.”
Matheus Cunha
Atletico Madrid’s attack is currently in a state of flux.
There has been plenty of change at the Wanda Metropolitano in recent seasons with Antoine Griezmann returning, Luis Suarez leaving and Joao Felix suffering from injury issues.
Manager Diego Simeone has also altered the team’s system on a number of occasions.
Combine all of that and it is easy to understand why they are champions one year and then struggling for a top-three finish the next.
It is hardly a stable environment in which to flourish — yet Matheus Cunha did just that during his debut season in the Spanish capital.
The 23-year-old may have only featured for 1052 minutes following his move from Hertha Berlin but he racked up six goals and four assists.
With there now being a void to fill in Simeone’s forward line, Cunha could claim a starting berth this season and become the latest South American striker to flourish under El Cholo.
Eduardo Camavinga
All eyes will be on Real Madrid’s £68.3million summer signing Aurelien Tchouameni — but it could be his club and international team-mate Eduardo Camavinga who steals the show.
The 19-year-old joined from Rennes last summer for a knockdown £27m due to his rapidly expiring contract at Roazhon Park.
He did not have the best start to life in LaLiga, having to make do with a place on the bench while Ancelotti trusted the experienced trio of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro.
However, the Italian tactician started to bring him on to change games and the Frenchman excelled in that role. Real’s No25 impressed in the Champions League and it would not be a surprise to see him double up on the 1,229 minutes he posted in LaLiga last term.
Camavinga could start off in the shadow of Tchouameni but there is every chance he finishes 2022-23 as the player being talked about.
Carlos Soler
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool are all reportedly keen on Valencia midfielder Carlos Soler — and it is not hard to see why.
The 25-year-old caught the eye in a mediocre team last term with Los Che only able to claim a ninth-placed finish.
However, Soler netted 11 times for the second successive campaign, albeit with seven of those arriving from the penalty spot.
The Spain international has just 12 months left on his current deal and knows another big season could guarantee him a move to one of Europe’s giants.
Expect him to deliver, again.
