Inventory of La Liga’s key players: Kylian Mbappe leads the Golden Boot, Real Madrid’s new star shines, Little Spider revives Atletico Madrid

The 2025/26 La Liga season has completed eight rounds, and the schedule is approaching a quarter. The championship and relegation pattern is gradually becoming clearer, and the "key men" on the field who can single-handedly reverse the situation have also completely emerged. Below, we focus on some of the best and most topical superstars so far this season.

 Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)

Mbappe is undoubtedly the most outstanding player so far this season. The Real Madrid forward leads the La Liga scorer list with 9 goals in 8 games, and is in hot form with 5 goals in 2 games in the Champions League. Mbappe currently averages more than 1 goal per game. Such goal efficiency has rarely been seen since the Melo era.

Pedri (Barcelona)

On Barcelona's road to the league championship, the 22-year-old Pedri has become an irreplaceable core midfielder. This season, this golden boy-level midfielder has achieved a comprehensive upgrade, with a stable passing success rate of 91.63%, and his 21 key passes ranked second in the league after Guler. He has played as captain many times this season and has gradually assumed the role of team leader and become an irreplaceable presence in Barcelona's tactical system.

Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid)

In September, Atletico Madrid's "revival banner" was carried by Argentine forward Alvarez. He scored a hat-trick against Rayo Vallecano, followed by a brace against Real Madrid in the Madrid derby. Atletico Madrid coach Simeone praised the Argentinian compatriot as "the best player the club has", and Alvarez also used his consistent and stable performance to inject a boost into Atletico Madrid's road to the championship.

Karl Etta Ayon (Levante)

Karl Etta Ayon has had a fantastic start to the 2025/26 season. He first contributed 1 goal and 2 assists for Villarreal, then moved to Levante and quickly scored 4 goals and 1 assist. The 22-year-old Cameroonian center is gaining momentum. Not only has he become famous with his outstanding statistics, but he has also added more confidence to the "Pomegranate Legion" in their road to relegation.

Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)

Although he was absent due to injury at the beginning of the season,   Yamal performed amazingly in only 4 appearances, scoring 2 goals and 4 assists.  He also completed 21 successful dribbles. Based on playing time, he is one of the most efficient players so far this season.

Vinicius (Real Madrid)

Vinicius is another key man who can influence the game in La Liga. Every time he plays in a Real Madrid jersey, he can cause huge trouble for his opponents. So far, he has scored 5 goals and 4 assists, and has directly participated in 9 goals. The data is the same as the same period last season.

Andre Silva (Elche)

As a newly promoted team this season, Elche's performance far exceeded expectations. Their current record of only 1 loss puts them in 7th place in the standings. Behind this achievement is not only the solid defense, but also the 4 goals of center Silva. His threat in the offensive third gave the team hope of qualifying for the European competition.

Ferran Torres (Barcelona)

Barcelona's forwards suffered injuries to many players at the beginning of this season, and Ferran Torres became the team's offensive pillar during this period. He got off to a hot start, contributing 4 goals and 1 assist in his first 5 appearances, helping the defending champion achieve an excellent start.

Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal)

"Yellow Submarine" is currently ranked third in the standings. Buchanan stunned the crowd with a hat-trick in Villarreal's 5-0 victory over Girona. The Canadian international, who moved to Villarreal permanently this summer, has performed so far and has achieved the team's expected goals.

Arda Guler (Real Madrid)

Under Xabi Alonso, Guler has gained more opportunities to play and space to display. He has sent 22 key passes so far, ranking first in La Liga this season,  and converted into 3 assists and 3 goals.  He scored decisive goals when defeating Real Sociedad and Mallorca,   It can be called Real Madrid's "Dinghaishenpin".