The Liga BBVA's first goal specialists

One of the main characteristics to take into account when rating the importance of a goal is seeing at what point in the game it was scored. We at LaLiga.es have compiled a list of the players who opened the scoring most often during the 2014/15 Liga BBVA season.

At the top of the pile sit Aritz Aduriz and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Athletic Club and Real Madrid strikers have made the biggest impact in this regard, having each broken the deadlock on 13 occasions.

The 34-year-old Basque front man enjoyed one of his best ever seasons by notching up 18 goals, 13 of which kicked the scoreboard into life. On each of those occasions, his opening goal helped the Bilbao outfit to a win or a draw, aside from a single defeat at the hands of Rayo Vallecano on matchday five (2-1). Also worthy of a mention was his final flourish towards the end of the season, when he displayed a particular ruthlessness in games played in San Mamés, where he bagged the first goal in four consecutive home encounters, on matchdays 32, 34, 36 and 38.

Aduriz and Cristiano Ronaldo were the first to find the back of the net on 13 occasions and both really shone during the latter stages of the season.

It was a similar story for the Portuguese marksman. The season’s biggest threat in front of goal, with a tally of 48, also managed to get his name on the scoresheet first on 13 occasions, with his best run in this regard coming towards the end of the season. The Real Madrid forward got the ball rolling on the scoreboard in five of the final eight Liga BBVA fixtures. Each of those goals against Rayo Vallecano, SD Eibar, Sevilla FC, RCD Espanyol and Getafe CF led to los blancos taking all three points.

Third on the list is Leo Messi. The Argentine talisman closed out the season as the division’s second top scorer with an impressive 43 goals, eleven of which prevented a scoreless draw from happening. Additionally, Messi’s case is distinct from the other two, as FC Barcelona did not lose a single game in which the Rosario native hit the target first: nine wins and two draws.

A number of players occupy fourth place on the list after recording the same tally: Neymar Júnior, Antoine Griezmann, Carlos Bacca and Sergio García all broke the deadlock eight times during the 2014/15 Liga BBVA season.

There were certain standout scoring streaks, like the case of Bacca who managed to get the first goal in three consecutive fixtures, matchdays 2, 3 and 4 against RCD Espanyol, Getafe CF and Córdoba CF, three games Sevilla FC went on to win.

Antoine Griezmann enjoyed a similar run in front of goal, albeit during the tail end of the season. The Frenchman was the first to hit the target on matchdays 31, 32 and 33 against Málaga CF, RCD Espanyol and Elche CF.