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So when its biggest star left less than a week before the start of the new season, all fans and viewers had the same question: "Where does La Liga go from here?"
It's a complicated question that was doing the rounds in Spain at the start of the campaign following Lionel Messi's departure to PSG. La Liga president Javier Tebas remained upbeat, though whether he was being realistic after losing a third transcendent star in four years remained to be seen. Tebas explained:
"We're always looking for the best players in the Spanish league. Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi all left. They are important and useful, but they are not necessary. We will continue to grow, and despite the absence of Messi, I am confident that we will move closer to the Premier League."
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The departure of La Liga's superstars has had no effect on the league and Tebas' testimony is turning out to be prophetic. The league, as a whole, is undeniably weaker but that doesn't mean there isn't quality throughout the division.
Oihan Sancet from Athletic Bilbao, Yunus Musah from Valencia, and Yeremi Pino from Villareal - some of the best talents have emerged in La Liga this season.
So, without further ado, here are the top five best players in La Liga right now, according to ratings.
#5 Memphis Depay - 7.38
FC Barcelona announced the signing of Dutch forward Memphis Depay on a free transfer from Lyon in June of 2021. The 27-year-old footballer had succeeded in Ligue 1 over the last four years and was regarded as a major signing for the club.
But fans had no idea how important Depay would be for Barcelona in the 2021-22 season.
Barcelona announced on August 5 that star forward Lionel Messi would leave the club in the summer. Messi signed a permanent deal with PSG just a few days after his emotional farewell speech. However, there were more surprises in store in the summer window of 2021.
Antoine Griezmann returned to Atletico Madrid on loan on deadline day, leaving primary attacking duties on Depay's shoulders at Barcelona.
Since then, Memphis Depay has scored eight goals and picked up two assists in La Liga. There will undoubtedly be comparisons with the outgoing players because Depay is filling a huge void.
However, for the time being, he is putting all those comparisons behind him and focusing on doing his best for Barcelona.
With a rating of 7.38, Depay has risen to fifth place on this list.
#4 Nabil Fekir - 7.44
Nabil Fekir is a name that stands out among Real Betis Balompié's other players today. Fekir has been a huge influence in Betis' rise up the table during his two-and-a-half years at the club, helping them climb to third in La Liga this season. The side, under Manuel Pellegrini, finished in sixth place last year.
Fekir was on the verge of joining Champions League-winners Liverpool for around €60 million. However, the deal fell through due to the Premier League club's concerns about a knee injury.
The France international has extended his contract with Los Verdiblancos, whom he joined in July of 2019 from Olympique Lyonnais.
Since his arrival, the 28-year-old has scored 16 La Liga goals, a total only surpassed by Borja Iglesias (17) for Betis. Meanwhile, Sergio Canales (14) is the only player with more assists than Fekir's 13 contributions.
He ranks fourth on this list with a rating of 7.44.
#3 Gerard Moreno - 7.65
Gerard Moreno is well-known for being one of La Liga's most prolific goal scorers. Moreno, at his best, is so good that he piqued the interest of the biggest clubs in Spain and abroad last summer. The Spaniard has scored against 59 of the 62 teams he's played against more than twice.
Moreno also finished ahead of Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani to win the UEFA Europa League Player of the Season award for the 2020-21 season.
Gerard Moreno is currently Villareal's all-time leading goalscorer, with 93 goals in 203 appearances over five seasons. His rise has been aided by a number of factors. However, the most significant was the appointment of Unai Emery as manager in the summer of 2020.
The former PSG and Arsenal manager has improved this Villarreal team, who went on to win the UEFA Europa League against Manchester United in the 2020-21 season.
This season, Gerard Moreno has eight goals and two assists in 12 La Liga appearances. This put him in third place on the list with a rating of 7.65.
#2 Vinicius Junior - 7.67
League leaders Real Madrid are the only team in La Liga to average more than two goals per game this season, with 45 goals in 21 matches. Vinicius Junior is responsible for 16 of those goal contributions despite the fact that his previous career-high was in the 2020-21 season with three goals and three assists.
Vinicius's improvement is arguably the most impressive in Europe and La Liga and his importance to this Real Madrid side cannot be overstated. The youngster is not only a goal scorer but he is also the player through whom everything flows.
This was most evident when he did not play against Getafe in La Liga, resulting in Real's worst performance of the season, a 1-0 loss.
Vinicius hasn't just improved his finishing. This season, he has assembled all of his other tools and taken on the responsibility of being the team's focal point in the attack. He has done so with style, demonstrating to Madridistas his desire to succeed at the highest level for the club he adores.
With a rating of 7.67, Vinicius Junior is ranked second on this list.
#1 Karim Benzema - 7.75
Karim Benzema has arguably proven to be the most astute signing of a transformative transfer window that also included the transfers of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Xabi Alonso. Benzema joined Real Madrid for a fee of €35.2 million in 2009.
Ronaldo, who arrived for a world-record €94 million, became Real Madrid's most influential player in the nine years that followed until he left for Juventus.
However, since his departure, it has been the experienced Benzema who has been the most consistent figure in Los Blancos' attack. He broke the 30-goal barrier twice in his 13 campaigns with the club and is on track to do so for the third time.
Karim Benzema recently made Real Madrid history by scoring his 300th and 301st goals for the club against Valencia at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Currently, at 303 goals, Benzema is closing the gap on those ahead of him in the club's scoring charts. As things stand, the Frenchman is just seven goals away from matching Alfredo Di Stefano's 308 goals. However, he still has a way to go to match Raul Gonzalez's 323.
Benzema has already scored 22 goals in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League combined this season, propelling him to the top spot in this list with a rating of 7.75.
