Biggest Transfer Profits in Football: The Art of the Deal
Deals that can be studied on universities across the world, check out the many surprising biggest transfer profits in football history. Flops and hits.
Whatever the Pichichi trophy - for the top goalscorer in Spain’s top division - lacked in superstar names this campaign, it made up in excitement, charm, and most important aspect - goals. Although, primarily the first two men on the list aren’t household names, the majority of the top La Liga goalscorers in the 2023/2024 season are the usual suspects.
Of course, long pass are the days of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Karim Benzema, but the first duo on the rankings are crafting their stardom in real-time. While the third has the chance and potential to sneak into the pantheon of the four mentioned. Even though he’s not a striker!
Three players have made the count as honourable mentions with 15 goals scored over the course of the campaign.
Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) - 15 goals
Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid) - 15 goals
Borja Mayoral (Getafe) - 15 goals
Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla) - 16 goals
By Nawfel Ajari - https://be.linkedin.com/in/nawfel-ajari-8a26471a4, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
Sevilla had the worst season since getting relegated in the 1999/2000 campaign finishing 14th, yet Youssef En-Nesyri was the shining point for the Andalusians. The Moroccan scored 16 goals in 33 La Liga matches, staying short of his record from the 2019/2020 season when he bagged 18 goals in 38 games. However, in this term, he has two assists for the same total of goal involvements. However, En-Nesyri hasn't been consistent over the four and a half seasons he has been with Sevilla. Scoring five in the 2021/2022 campaign, and eight in the 2022/2023 run.
Entering his prime at 26 years of age, the tall centre-forward needs to leave such inconsistencies with his youth. Especially as his contract runs until 2025.
Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) - 16 goals
One of the most versatile players in the world is still putting in numbers in the goalscoring aspect of his game. The 33-year-old was again Atletico Madrid's best scorer, notching six assists too in 33 games. Although it was an overall step-down from the previous season when Griezmann scored 15 and assisted 17 in the league. Playing the full 38.
The 2023/2024 campaign was his eighth in which he scored 15 or more La Liga goals. Now, the amazing Frenchman stands at the total tally of 196 goals - and 90 assists - in his 531 La Liga games. With a contract until 2026, as well as a boyish love for football, and a warrior-like passion for competing, Griezmann can certainly boost those numbers even more.
Ante Budimir (Osasuna) - 17 Goals
Autor PIXSELL - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ltCw3OGtoQ, CC BY 3.0, Link
The odd man out in this list of top La Liga goalscorers in the 2023/2024 season. He is not a superstar like Griezmann or the two men next in line ahead of him. He is also not the potential future one like the #1 and #2 strikers here. Ante Budimiri is a proper nomadic veteran tall Balcan striker who has enjoyed a season of brilliance.
Not that he wasn't good before, even coming up to the 11 and 13 marks in La Liga before. Recording a solid eight in a year for the past two seasons with Osasuna. But this is a player who has been performing in second tiers for the good part of his career. And as recent as the 2018/2019 campaign. But with 17 goals - including one against Real Madrid - and two assists in 37 games, the 32-year-old veteran has recorded his best year. Yet.
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) - 19 goals
The player of the season in La Liga certainly, but Jude Bellingham also made waves by being the only non-striker on this list. Playing as an attacking midfielder, and performing in only 28 games of La Liga season, it's not easy to see why the Pichichi trophy might've gone to the young England international if not for the injuries. All in his first season with Real Madrid.
Jude also made six assists as well in Real’s title-winning season. With Borussia Dortmund, his best goalscoring effort in the Bundesliga was eight, although he was playing in a different role. Aged only 20, it's easy to see why everyone has Bellnngham picked as the superstar of the future. Or... today.
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) - 19 goals
Despite coming in as a joint number three here, Robert Lewandowski is still one of the best strikers in the world. Even though strong reports came out of Nou Camp that the reason why Barcelona’s board parted with the manager Xavi is that he wanted to get rid of Lewandowski.
It was Lewa's weakest season since the 2014/2015 one with Bayern Munich, his first at the Allianz Arena, when he scored 17 goals. RL9 started the campaign strong with five goals in the first six games, but then in the next 16 matchdays, he scored only three goals! Lewa boosted his numbers later on in the spring, bagging a hat-trick against Valencia when it was all nearly said and done. Still, he added eight assists to his 19 goals in 35 matches. Not bad for a 35-year-old man playing in a team of youngsters.
Alexander Sorloth (Villarreal) - 23 goals
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By Steffen Prößdorf; crop by ValhaIl - Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
So many times disputed, and yet Alexander Sorloth seems to work best when he has been written off or dismissed. Of course, he's going to be in the shadow of his younger compatriot who took England's best scorer trophy twice in a row now, but Sorloth has been a memorable and inspiring element of the game in recent years.
After joining Crystal Palace in 2018 for a fee of €16,000,000 total, he scored only once in 20 games there. Sorloth moved on loans and in his second departure hit it off at Trabzonspor, scoring 33 goals and making 11 assists in 49 games. RB Leipzig then took him on for €20,000,000, but in 38 matches the tall Norweigan scored only six goals.
Shyish years at Real Sociedad were enough for Villarreal who put in €10,000,000 for the player still on the right side of 30. He returned the trust with 23 goals and six assists in 34 league games. Nearly doubling his previous outing in La Liga with Sociedad where he had 12 goals, but also nearly equalling the Trabzon tally at 24 league goals in a Turkish league.
Artem Dovbyk (Girona) - 24 goals
The man who made La Liga’s title race exciting. At least for the first half of the season, before Real Madrid’s trademark push. Still, in August, Girona fans would’ve gladly taken the second spot in the league and the Pichichi trophy going to their player.
Dovbyk was a new arrival too, becoming the club's record purchase for the - in today's football - modest price of €7,750,000! His contract running until 2028 will get tested as early as this summer with multiple clubs looking into the Ukranian who is in his prime at the age of 26.
Especially as Dovbyk had eight assists in the league as well, while missing two games due to injury. The well-rounded striker has scored a hat-trick against Sevilla and bagged a goal in a win over Barcelona. The final game of the season against Granada saw him score a hat-trick that secured the Pichichi trophy by a thin margin.
Hence, Dovbyk entered a truly selected group of players, as we have to go back to the 2007/2008 season until there is a winner who wasn't a superstar - Dani Guiza. But before and especially after with Cristiano Ronaldo (3), Lionel Messi(8), Karim Benzema, Luis Suarez, and Robert Lewandowski, it's the cream of the crop of footballers who achieved the same as Dovbyk.
The top La Liga goalscorers in the 2023/2024 season had a long and fair fight. Yet the one coming up, seems to have a winner pre-determined as Kylian Mbappe has all but confirmed moving to Santiago Bernabeu.
