Barcelona brought in Robert Lewandowski to make the difference for them up front, and domestically, there is no doubt he has done just that.
Aged 34, in his first season in Spain, Lewandowski claimed the ‘Pichichi’ award for the top goalscorer in La Liga this season, despite playing for a Barcelona much more praised for their defence than their attack.
The Polish striker notched 23 goals in 34 games this season, scoring once with his head and the other 22 with his feet. None of those goals were penalties as he opened up a five-goal lead on his closest competitor, Karim Benzema.
The Frenchman finished second with 18 goals, followed by Joselu Mato of Espanyol (16), Borja Iglesias of Real Betis (15) and Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid (15) closing out the top five.
Final Pichichi Standings⚽🇪🇸🎯
1️⃣Robert Lewandowski – 23 goals
2️⃣Karim Benzema – 18
3️⃣Joselu Mato – 16
4️⃣Borja Iglesias – 15
4️⃣=Antoine Griezmann – 15
6️⃣Vedat Muriqi – 14
6️⃣=Enes Unal – 14 pic.twitter.com/9YeiQjGLQC— Football España (@footballespana_) June 5, 2023
Almost as impressive as Joselu’s total are those of Enes Unal (14) at Getafe and Vedat Muriqi (14) at Real Mallorca, both of whom have battled for sides favouring a more defensive setup.
The top ten scorers are rounded out by Taty Castellanos (Girona, 13), Alvaro Morata (Atletico, 13), Alexander Sorloth (Real Sociedad, 12) and Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo, 12), who finished level with the Norwegian.
It has been noted by many that the quality of finishing has been perhaps lower in than in recent years across the board, and certainly it is surprising that only three players crossed the 15-goal mark, still more so that Real Madrid and Barcelona had nobody else close. However it does speak to the staunch defensive organisation too, with many sides proving tricky ot break down this season.
Image via LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images
