La Liga Smartbank: Umar bounces back for goleador race

Super Eagles attacker, Sadiq Umar has brightened his chances in the race for the La Liga Smartbank Best Marksman after he struck his 13th goal of the campaign last weekend against Fuenlabrada. 

Umar who missed some games due to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, has now moved two goals to the leading trio of Ruben Castro (Cartagena), Cristhian Stuani (Girona), Borja Baston (Real Oviedo) who had scored 15 goals each while Eibar’s Stoichkov has 14 goals. 

The former Partizan Belgrade and Rangers hitman has rediscovered his scoring form since he returned from the AFCON having scored five goals in as many matches in the competition which has put him back into reckoning in the chase for the best marksman in the Spanish second division. 

Last season, he finished third with 20 goals from 40 games to put Almeria in the playoffs but his goals have helped the club remain in the second spot with 58 points from 29 games this term. 

They are only a point adrift of leaders, Eibar with 13 games to the end of the regular season. 

In the last ten months, Sadiq has been linked with Sevilla, Bayern Munich and, most recently, a £50 million move to Barcelona. 

With 36 goals and 17 assists in 69 games since joining Almeria in the summer of 2020, Sadiq is now being mentioned in the same breath with some leading strikers in Europe 

He has risen to the third position in Almeria leading scorers with 36 goals from 69 games behind Leonardo Ulloa (48 goals) and Fernando Soriano (38 goals). 

TheNation/Nnenna.O