While controversy continues to roil La Liga, the ball will once again be rolling in Spain this weekend, with FC Barcelona's visit to third-placed Real Betis and Real Madrid's match against Sevilla highlighting the ninth-round schedule.
As teams jostle for position at the top of the table, individual players are also chasing the Pichichi, the trophy awarded each season to the top scorer in Spain.
Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has won the past two and already is off to a strong start, though everyone is chasing Barcelona's Raphinha at the moment.
Here's the current state of the Pichichi race heading into matches to be played Oct. 17:
Top goal scorers in La Liga
12 goals
- Raphinha (FC Barcelona)
7 goals
- Sergio Camello (Rayo Vallecano)
- Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)
- Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona)
- Yassir Zabiri (Racing Santander)
6 goals
- Roberto Fernández (Espanyol)
- Ante Budimir (CA Osasuna)
5 goals
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Deportivo A Coruña)
- Fer Niño (Elche CF)
- Lucas Boyé (Deportivo Alavés)
4 goals
- Álex Baena (Atlético de Madrid)
- Fermín López (FC Barcelona)
NOTE: Eight players with 3 goals
Previous Golden Boot/Pichichi winners
- 2025-26: Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) - 25 goals
- 2024-25: Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) - 31 goals
- 2023-24: Artem Dovbyk (Girona) - 24 goals
- 2022-23: Robert Lewandowski (FC Barcelona) - 23 goals
- 2021-22: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) - 27 goals
- 2020-21: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) - 30 goals
- 2019-20: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) - 25 goals
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: La Liga top goal scorers: Pichichi
rankings for 2026-27 season
