Football has been put on pause amid the Coronavirus pandemic but while we wait eagerly for its return, we can take stock of the season so far.
This is an opportunity to focus on some of the less-celebrated players who have surprised this term.
Here, we list La Liga’s five unlikely stars of this season.
MARTIN ODEGAARD
After initially failing to live up to the hype that came with his high-profile move to Real Madrid as a 16-year-old, Martin Odegaard seemed destined to be branded a flop at Santiago Bernabeu.
The young playmaker has, however, benefited from his time on loan, beginning a strong resurgence in Eredivisie with Vitesse Arnehm last season. But it’s this La Liga campaign at Real Sociedad that may well have placed him in Zinedine Zidane’s plans for next season.
Odegaard has been pivotal to the Basque side’s Champions League ambitions as they currently occupy fourth place in the league.
He’s registered four goals and five assists from midfield in the division and his 2.3 key passes per game is an average bettered only by Lionel Messi (2.5).
The 21-year-old Norwegian is showing the kind of maturity that suggests he’d be the ideal replacement for the aging Luka Modric come next season.
LUCAS PEREZ
Despite reasonably decent outputs at Arsenal and West Ham, Lucas Perez failed to leave his mark on the Premier League.
But rather than fade into obscurity, the 31-year-old striker has instead flourished on his return to Spanish football with Alaves, even standing out as one of the best players this season.
Perez has gone from being Arsenal’s forgotten man to Alaves’ main man, leading them to safety with 11 goals and five assists in the league so far.
He’s only behind Messi (19) and Karim Benzema (14) in the goal-scoring charts. Such has been his form that before they signed Martin Braithwaite, Perez was linked with a move to Barcelona.
FEDE VALVERDE
Never mind Sergio Ramos, Eden Hazard, Modric or Benzema, Zinedine Zidane is building Real Madrid’s resurgence during his second spell on the young shoulders of Fede Valverde.
The tenacious Uruguayan gives Los Blancos balance and has forged a formidable partnership in midfield with Casemiro through his energetic displays.
The Brazilian will dominate the statistics for tackles and interceptions. But very often it’s Valverde’s constant pressing that forces opponents into mistakes, with Casemiro on hand to pick up the pieces.
He’s also a smooth customer on the ball, a facet of his game that’s criminally underrated though evidenced by his two goals and four assists this season despite his rather limiting role.
LUCAS OCAMPOS
After just five goals in 40 appearances across all competitions with Marseille last season, few people expected Lucas Ocampos to flourish the way he has at Sevilla following a summer move.
Ocampos isn’t your typical centre forward and struggles to play with his back to goal. But under Julen Lopetegui has thrived from a wider role.
He’s afforded the time and space to run at defenders, reflected in his average of 2.3 dribbles per game.
With an eye for goal, the Argentine has managed to find space inside the area and contribute with 10 strikes so far while also providing two assists.
SANTI CAZORLA
Not too long ago, Santi Cazorla was told by medical professionals that simply walking again would be an achievement.
A long-term ankle injury meant a promising spell at Arsenal would gradually slip away, but the Spaniard has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance on his return to Villarreal.
Impressive performances last season marked the end of his injury nightmare. But at 35, Cazorla has possibly had an even better campaign this time around with eight goals and six assists in Spain’s top flight.
His 2.3 key passes per game is behind only Messi despite featuring less in the final third than he used to. Gerard Moreno is unquestionably the driving force for Villarreal further up the pitch, but Cazorla is very much the playmaker pulling the strings.
