League leaders Real Madrid dominate La Liga mid-season awards
Real Madrid lead La Liga by eight points as we near the end of the year and Los Blancos are the big award winners at the mid-season stage. Impressively, Carlo Ancelotti's side sit 17 points clear of local rivals and defending champions Atletico Madrid and 18 ahead of Barcelona.
Here we run through the award winners based off WhoScored ratings this season.
Best Player
Real Betis are currently third in La Liga with Nabil Fekir playing a key role for the Seville side. The Frenchman may have just four goals and three assists to his name, but ranks second for key passes (40) and seventh for dribbles (38) to cap a fine season to date, returning a WhoScored rating of 7.53 in the process.
2. Vinicius Junior - Real Madrid
Vinicius Junior has enjoyed a stunning season for Los Blancos. The Brazilian has already scored more goals this campaign (10) than he managed in the previous three league seasons combined (8), placing third in the race for the Pichichi. 56 dribbles is more than any other La Liga player to contribute towards a WhoScored rating of 7.60.
1. Karim Benzema - Real Madrid
With a WhoScored rating of 7.75, Real Madrid goal machine Karim Benzema is our La Liga player of the season so far. Benzema has scored more goals (15) than any other player in Spain's top tier, those goals coming from 64 shots, the most in the division, while only Oscar Trejo (8) has registered more assists than the 34-year-old (7) in 2021/22.
Best Youngster (21 and under)
Barcelona have used a number of youngsters this season, with Gavi establishing himself as a key man for the Blaugrana in his breakout season. Respectable averages of 1.9 dribbles and 1.7 tackles per 90, to go with his one goal and three assists, has helped the teenager to a WhoScored rating of 6.82.
After a so-so debut campaign in Spain, Sergino Dest has begun to show why Barcelona spent big to secure the American's services in 2020. Dest has three assists to his name, while his distribution suits the Barcelona possession-based ethos. A 91.6% pass success rate is the sixth best in the league and has seen the 21-year-old land a WhoScored rating of 7.02.
1. Vinicius Junior - Real Madrid
The best rated youngster in La Liga is the second best rated overall with Vinicius Junior taking his game to the next level this season. The dribble machine has 10 goals to his name and shows no signs of slowing as Real Madrid maintain their push for domestic glory.
Best Signing
Javi Galan impressed for relegated Huesca and it saw Celta Vigo make a move for the Spaniard over the summer. Galan finished second for successful dribbles (121) last season and is currently second to Vinicius Junior in the same metric (45). In addition, the 27-year-old has made more tackles (57) than any other player to help yield a WhoScored rating of 6.99.
Having signed on loan from VfB Stuttgart, Pablo Maffeo has excelled for Mallorca, returning a WhoScored rating of 7.10 in the process. The 24-year-old right-back has one goal to his name, and ranks seventh for tackles (42) in the 2021/22 La Liga campaign, to contribute towards a WhoScored rating of 7.10.
Joining on a free from Lyon, Memphis Depay is the best rated new arrival in La Liga, returning a WhoScored rating of 7.48. Eight goals is the fifth best in the division, while 35 key passes ranks fourth in Spain's top tier. 31 successful dribbles is the 16th highest with Depay settling into his new surroundings well.
Biggest Rating Increase (20+ apps last season, 10+ apps this season)
3. William Carvalho - Real Betis
While not a first team regular for Real Betis, William Carvalho is the first of two players for the Seville side to podium here. Carvalho has seen his tackles per 90 return rise from 1.4 to 2.9, while a dribbles per 90 return of 2.4 is an increase from 2020/21 (1.3) and has seen the Portugal international's rating rise by 0.39.
As the key man in the Real Betis attack, Nabil Fekir has seen his WhoScored rating rise by 0.41 to 7.53 this season, that the second highest increase in La Liga. To go with his offensive output, Fekir is one of the most fouled players in the division, winning 39 fouls to contribute towards that positive difference.
1. Vinicius Junior - Real Madrid
Unsurprsingly, Vinicius Junior is the most improved player in La Liga, with his WhoScored rating increasing by a whopping 0.98 from last season to this term. 10 goals has contributed to that impressive increase, while 56 dribbles is more than any other player to top this leaderboard.
Biggest Rating Decrease (20+ apps last season, 10+ apps this season)
3. Lucas Vazquez - Real Madrid
Having struggled for regular minutes under Carlo Ancelotti this season, Lucas Vazquez has seen his rating decrease by 0.63 in La Liga. The number of tackles per 90 has fallen from 3.0 to 1.4, while his creative output has dipped from 2.1 key passes per 90 to 1.6, and that means his WhoScored rating has dropped to 6.57.
2. Marcos Llorente - Atletico Madrid
The first of two Atletico Madrid to podium here, Marcos Llorente has struggled in the final third for the defending champions this season. The Spain international scored 12 and provided 11 assists in 2020/21, yet at the midway point of the campaign, Llorente has just one assist to his name, which has seen his WhoScored rating fall by 0.64.
1. Kieran Trippier - Atletico Madrid
Injuries haven't helped Kieran Trippier this season, yet even so; the England international has struggled to reach the same heights as 2020/21. A WhoScored rating decrease of 0.67 is the biggest in La Liga with Trippier yet to directly contribute to a league goal. Having made the La Liga team of the season, it's quite the fall from grace for the 31-year-old, who has been linked with a January return to England.
Team of the Season
League leaders Real Madrid are the dominant side in the La Liga team of the season, with four Los Blancos players making the cut. Karim Benzema leads the way as the best rated player in the division and is joined by Memphis Depay on the frontline. Madrid pair Toni Kroos and Vinicius Junior feature in the XI and the former is joined by Nabil Fekir in the middle of the park. Valencia's Carlos Soler rounds off the midfield.
Between the sticks, Stole Dimitrievski of high-flying Rayo Vallecano makes the cut and is protected by centre-back pair Eder Militao and David Garcia. Pablo Maffeo features at right-back with Real Betis defender Alex Moreno rounding off the XI at left-back.
