There's something to be said for being at home. Just ask Lucas Perez. Or Imanol Agirretxe. Or Aritz Aduriz. Home is where the heart is, they'll tell you. Success, too.
In what has been a fascinating season in La Liga to date, those three men have best represented one of the campaign's major themes, thriving at home and in their own backyards. At Deportivo La Coruna, lifelong Depor fan Lucas has stormed to 12 league goals; at Real Sociedad, Agirretxe, who was born just outside of San Sebastian, has the same number; at Athletic Bilbao, Basque icon Aduriz has 11. Right now, they're the league's local heroes. And that's not all.
In putting up a fight against the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Luis Suarez and Karim Benzema in the race for the Pichichi, the trio have also been emblematic of the league's changing complexion. For much of its existence, and particularly in the last decade, La Liga has had a two-team definition that at times has drifted toward a two-player definition: Real Madrid and Barcelona; Ronaldo and Messi.
It's been about them and only them. But not so much anymore.
In 2015-16, Messi has missed a significant chunk of the season and Ronaldo has exhibited signs of decline. Of course, their respective clubs are still the ones to beat, but both are on track for their lowest points tallies in years as others grow stronger. Already, Villarreal, just a point behind Madrid, have spent time at the top of the table; Atletico Madrid are there now and could be there for a while. Elsewhere, Celta Vigo have sparkled; for their size, Deportivo and Eibar have too; Bilbao won the Spanish Super Cup; Valencia and Sevilla still lurk.
Suddenly, others clubs and other players matter in a way they haven't for a long time, the local lads leading the way—strikers in particular.
Indeed, along with Lucas, Agirretxe and Aduriz, the likes of Paco Alcacer and Iago Aspas have shone in a similar fashion at Valencia and Celta respectively. Both are homegrown. Elsewhere, Borja Baston and Javi Guerra are enjoying success of their own at Eibar and Rayo Vallecano, and while they aren't exactly locals, they are Spanish. In fact, nine of the league's 15 leading scorers are, which is a significant statistic.
Eighteen months ago, when Spain travelled to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup, Vicente del Bosque's squad said much about the Spanish game and about La Liga. Despite the abundance of talent, particularly in midfield, La Roja's strikers were Diego Costa, David Villa and Fernando Torres. As such, questions that had long lingered became pertinent once more: "Is that it? Where are they all?"
Villa, of course, is a legend, but by that summer he was headed for the retirement home for European stars that is MLS. In the season leading up to the World Cup, he'd been important in Atletico's extraordinary 2013-14 season, but the fact remained he hadn't scored a goal for three months when the tournament began.
Few will need reminding that Torres' record was similar, and while Costa had been prolific, he wasn't a Spanish product; he was a Brazilian one who'd changed his allegiance and was thus not entirely representative of his new nation's striking crop.
Admittedly, there were other options who'd plied their trade in other leagues with varying success—such as Alvaro Negredo, Fernando Llorente and Roberto Soldado—but the paucity of options coming from the national team's theoretical breeding ground, La Liga, was alarming.
Essentially, Spanish strikers in Spain were scarce. Well, ones who were scoring, anyway.
In the 2013-14 season, not one Spanish-born player passed 15 goals in the league, when Aduriz, Guerra and Pedro led the way with that number. Last season, though Aduriz (18) and Rayo's Alberto Bueno (17) did manage to pass it, only four of the division's 17 leading scorers could have called Spain home.
Yet this season, nine of the leading 15 can. Among them, Lucas, Agirretxe and Aduriz are all on track for 20-plus goals. Baston, Guerra, Aspas and Alcacer are on track for something similar. The landscape has changed.
Curiously, evaluating the driving factor behind such a change is difficult. A number of the country's suddenly prominent strikers are actually familiar faces—Aduriz, Agirretxe, Guerra and Alcacer—and the league's structure and essence haven't really changed.
Have the relevant players simply improved, then? Is all of this purely circumstantial? Will the current season just become an outlier in this regard?
Or has there been a subtle shift in the way teams are playing, catering for their primary forwards more than they have previously?
It's hard to know, but it's notable anyway.
At Deportivo, Lucas is undeniably the most eye-catching of the bunch, his all-action style engrossing. Relentless, physical and a furiously hard runner, he plays with the attitude of a fringe player who has much to prove rather than that of a star. And yet he is a star. The star.
In December, Lucas equalled a club record held by Bebeto when he scored for his seventh game running. "Welcome to history" was the message from the man he'd joined, and Depor's history is the one Lucas wants to be in. "I always wanted to be here," he said recently, per Sid Lowe of the Guardian, speaking with affection for the club he grew up close to and has always supported—the club he's finally representing after a decade-long footballing journey through Spain, Ukraine and Greece.
Lucas is more than just bustle, too. He's proved himself to be a neat finisher, a powerful shooter, a composed penalty taker and excellent at exploiting space. "He is hammering on the door of the national team," said his manager, Victor Sanchez. "He is completisimo."
East at San Mames in Bilbao, Aduriz is less explosive but no less impressive. In fact, he might be more impressive.
Now into his 19th professional season, the Basque is 34 and will turn 35 in February. Theoretically, he should be slowing down, preparing to put his slippers on and nestling into a couch with some tea and a biscuit, but somehow he's doing the opposite. In the league, Aduriz has 11 goals; in all competitions he has 22, having been prolific in the Spanish Super Cup and Europa League.
In November against Rayo, he scored the perfect hat-trick—right foot, left foot and header—which was his second of the season after his unforgettable treble against Barcelona. He's recorded four braces too. What's more, he genuinely looks better than ever. Fitter, stronger, savvier and more focused.
"He's a treasure," said Bilbao's manager, Ernesto Valverde. "He represents the culmination of the way we play."
Not far away at Anoeta, the more subtle Agirretxe is another enjoying a breakout season, which is what it is even if it sounds awkward for a player who's been prominent for La Real since 2008. Before this term, he'd never gone past 14 goals in a league campaign; now, he has 12 in 14 starts—a goals-to-games ratio that sits comfortably alongside those of Ronaldo, Suarez, Neymar and Benzema.
Agirretxe has accounted for 60 per cent of his side's goals. It's the highest figure in the league, and the players immediately behind him in that respect are Lucas, Guerra and Aduriz. Baston and Alcacer aren't far behind.
It's a good-looking bunch. And a thought-provoking bunch for Del Bosque.
Since Spain's implosion in Brazil 18 months ago, Del Bosque has faced a need to alter his approach, steering La Roja in a new direction. At times, a method has been trialled with the likes of Koke and Cesc Fabregas running a slightly more direct midfield, while in attack the Costa experiment has continued and Alcacer has been steadily introduced.
Though the changes haven't been drastic—the composed and fiercely loyal Del Bosque doesn't do drastic—they're changes nonetheless; evolution rather than revolution. And yet many want more.
This far into preparations for a major tournament, the Costa issue is an uncomfortable one. On paper, by reputation, starting the Chelsea star is a no-brainer, but then you watch him in this team and everything changes. Rugged, forceful, all straight lines, Costa borders on being the antithesis of all those around him, his fit as natural as a shark's in a lobby fish tank.
Throughout qualifying, Alcacer looked significantly more effective, raising further questions about Costa despite Del Bosque's commitment to him. "He is here because we are sure that he can be useful," the manager said of Costa in November ahead of a friendly with England. "We trust in him."
Such a stance is understandable, of course, given the potential the striker represents. And yet, until now, such a stance has also been aided by the availability of time and the perception of it solving all. Now, though, Del Bosque and Spain are short on time for making this work; strikers in form and who fit more naturally could become a priority, and whereas once finding such players was difficult, now there are options. Lots of them.
Del Bosque knows it too.
"Aduriz is playing great. Very close to him there are others like Agirretxe or Lucas," he said in December. "Fortunately this year the Spanish strikers are competing with foreigners and that's very good for Spanish football."