The Pichichi Trophy, given to the Spanish championship’s best goalscorer every season, has been won by Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez over the past decade. This season, however, the number one candidate is a guy virtually nobody even heard of before this season started. And it’s all thanks to Girona’s incredible rise in La Liga.Los Blanquivermells continue to dream of making history with the performance of a squad that is transcending borders – and Artem Dovbyk is the star man.The Catalan team has already surpassed its previous highest points total in La Liga (51, in the 2017/18 season) with 17 matchdays still to play. This achievement seems incredible – and it is – but considering the footballing arguments put forward by Michel’s team, it is becoming less surprising.Against Sevilla, another trademark surge left the Andalusians frozen and unable to respond to the opponent. In that surge, Dovbyk once again demonstrated efficiency in front of goal by scoring three goals in just six and a half minutes of play. It’s a feat that few can achieve.Dovbyk arrived at Girona quietly from Ukrainian club Dnipro-1 a few days before the start of the league. With an imposing physique, introverted like most Eastern European players, with little knowledge of English and, obviously, none of Spanish, but with the desire to conquer the world at 26 years old and with previous modest experiences outside his country with Zaria Balti in Moldova, and later with Midtjylland and Sonderjyske in Denmark.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Spaniard Jordi Gratacos, former sports director of Dnipro’s academy and a great connoisseur of Ukrainian and Russian football, is a huge Dovbyk fan.”Whenever I’ve been asked about adapting a player from the East to another country like Spain, I’ve been cautious. It is true that at Girona, the precedent with Tsygankov was positive, and having his compatriot in the squad has helped him become one more without it being a complex process. He stands out for his physicality, but we often tend to think he won’t be good technically or precise in his actions. He combines both things, can go into space, look for the third man, and does it with great technical ability.” The former sports director of Dnipro’s academy is aware that everything has aligned at Girona for the Ukrainian to develop his qualities.”The style of play at Girona and the coach he has helped him a lot, but he could also do well with a different style of play, on the counter and looking for spaces. Dovbyk is two forwards in one. He is showing that he can stand out with both styles, of course, with the crosses from Yan Couto, Miguel, Savinho, etc., he takes advantage more easily.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7812671##The hat-trick in the dismantlement of Sevilla is a great example of the qualities that Dovbyk is showing this season at Girona. The first with a header, jumping higher than the opponent without making contact with him; the second with a first-touch finish from Portu’s pass; and the third, in just six minutes, controlling a long ball and facing diagonally against a Sergio Ramos who gave him too much space, shooting to the near post out of Dmitrovic’s reach.Girona paid around $8 million for 75% of the player’s rights, making the Ukrainian striker the most expensive signing in the club’s history. It will turn out to be a bargain, as half of the Premier League is reportedly interested in him due to the sensational performance he is delivering in La Liga.The comparisons to some of Europe’s high-profile goalscorers come as no surprise to Gratacos.”I see him in a major team in the Premier League, even at City, or also in the top teams in Serie A. He is a player with similarities to Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic, also left-footed, but I hope he stays at Girona for many years. In the Ukrainian market, there have always been good players, and they have paid well for footballers in their league. In 2019, they became U20 World Champions, and talent is cultivated.”Dovbyk, tied at 14 goals with Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham in the Pichichi Trophy race, seeks an achievement that seems reserved for players who do not wear the jerseys of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Since Diego Forlan in the 2008/09 season, no player has won the Pichichi without playing for one of these two teams.La Liga’s top scorers:▪️ Jude Bellingham (Real)▪️ Artem Dovbyk (Girona)Top of the charts in their first season 🎯 pic.twitter.com/jRCwtFVVOl— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 22, 2024 If Girona’s path to glory is marked by historical obstacles, Dovbyk’s path to the Pichichi seems no less complicated. Nevertheless, hand in hand, the club and the striker seem determined to overcome all hurdles to triumphantly reach the goal.
