Atlético runs out of killer

Atlético has lost the figure of the striker who had been part of his identity in recent years. The rojiblanco team recovered from the Double (1995-96) to the constant departure of their leading figures., Vieri, Hasselbaink, Fernando Torres, Agüero, Forlán, Falcao or Diego Costa, always incorporating someone who could shade and sometimes improve its predecessor as a scoring benchmark.

But, after getting in seven of the eight seasons between 2008-09 and 2015-16 that at least one player exceeded 20 league goals (the only one that was not 2009-10 with Forlán de Pichichi with 18 goals), this season is heading to the fourth consecutive year without that figure, since Griezmann reached 22 points in 2016. These have been Atlético's top scorers in the League since the Double:

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Penev (1995-96): 16 goals

The Bulgarian winger came free from Valencia to end up becoming the spearhead of a team for history. An effective area finisher and penalty taker who formed a pair up with Kiko and leaned on the nose of Simeone and Caminero from the second line. Without the need for a particularly high number of goals (16), his name is already engraved on fire despite spending a single season at the club before leaving for Compostela.

Esnáider (1996-97): 16 goals

Forward incorporated from Real Madrid, equaled Penev's figures in his signing, although the same successes did not accompany him. The Argentine added three more goals in Champions, but the brand of the missed penalty in the return leg of the quarterfinals of the maximum European competition against Ajax where the Dutch took the standings in overtime. It also lasted a single season before leaving the club.

Christian Vieri (1997-98): 24 goals

Esnáider was replaced by a colossal figure who finished the league championship as Pichichi. A Christian Vieri who once again played a single year at the club and left with the average of a goal per game in the league, 24 in the 24 games he played (29 in 32 counting all competitions) making four of them against Salamanca that were insufficient to score (5-4). He formed a great attack with Kiko and Juninho, but at the end of the year he wanted to return to Italy. A lot of character, which collided with that of Jesús Gil, his goal with practically no angle from the baseline against PAOK in UEFA is the story of Vicente Calderón.

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Correa and José Mari (1998-99): 7 goals

Season without any reference above, the worst scoring figure of a top scorer of the team in a long time. The Petete Correa at least he did have good percentages, as he got seven goals in just 13 games. José Mari for his part made them at 23, sharing the honor of being the leading scorer of the team in the League without reaching ten goals.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (1999-00): 24 goals

Atlético corrected his mistake that same summer, at least in the figure of nine, incorporating Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. The Dutchman was one of the few lights in the terrible year that ended the descent to Second Division. Pure physical power, with a huge start, he achieved a double at the Santiago Bernabéu that was repeated on television for years as the last mattress victory against Real Madrid. He also scored in the Cup final against Espanyol, but was insufficient to lift the trophy (2-1). Atleti fell from the category with the second highest scorer of the competition in their ranks (24 in the League, 35 among all competitions)So Hasselbaink went to Chelsea.

Salva Ballesta (2000-01): 21 goals * (in Second *)

His substitute was the only player who had surpassed him in the First Scorers classification, a Salva who had achieved 27 goals with Racing to proclaim himself top scorer. He led Atlético's lead in the first attempt to return to the top flight, but his 21 goals were insufficient and the team finished fourth.

Diego Alonso (2001-02): 22 goals *

Valencia took over Salva's services by introducing the transfer of Diego Alonso in the operation. And with the Uruguayan forming the front with a very young Fernando Torres the objective was achieved. A born auctioneer who got 22 goals to finish in the first place of Second and leave hell two years later.

Torres (2002-03, 03-04, 04-05, 05-06 and 06-07): 13, 19, 16, 13 and 14 goals

El Niño emerged as the team figure in the first five seasons back to Primera, assuming in all of them the scoring responsibility and always changing partners without any getting close to their height. Torres scored 13 goals in his debut in Primera, still not turning 20 and with Javi Moreno as a partner. His second year was the most productive, reaching 19 points and becoming one of the great figures of LaLiga. That year Nikolaidis was the other point. In 2004-05 the '9' scored 16 goals with Salva, who returned to the club and in the next 13 with Kezman at his side. In his last season before signing for Liverpool, Fernando Torres scored 14 goals with Kun Agüero, showing his great potential as a newcomer to the team.

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Agüero (2007-08 and 10-11): 19 and 20 goals

After a first season of adaptation and with Torres's dramatic goodbye, Kun took over the stripes in a colossal second year. The Argentinean made 19 goals in League and adding the rest of competitions reached 30. A consecration course for a player capable of making a goal out of nothing. He formed a wonderful front with Forlán and the position of top scorer of the team was inserted with the Uruguayan, although the two were much more than that. Agüero met all his expectations, adding to his success a great technique, ability to play from the back, dribbling and vision of the game. In the 2010-11 campaign, his last at the club, he said goodbye to the team, returning to be the team's top scorer in La Liga with a hat-trick in Mallorca for reach 20 points in the competition before signing for Manchester City.

Forlán (2008-09 and 2009-10): 32 and 18 goals

The Charrúa formed an unforgettable couple with Agüero who returned the Champions and titles to the club, with a '7' double in the 2010 Europa League final against Fulham. If in his first season of rojiblanco as a substitute for Torres he did 16 goals in League (25 in total), in the second the marker burst with 32 League goals (36 counting the rest) to get your second Golden Boot. A sniper with an extraordinary hit with both legs from outside the area and with those 32 goals led Atlético's return to the Champions League. The following season he was again the league leader in goals, although his numbers dropped to 18 points and left glory for the Europa League. He left the club in the summer of 2011 for Inter Milan.

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Falcao (2011-12 and 2012-13): 24 and 28 goals

Agüero and Forlán said goodbye and the '9' arrived par excellence, Radamel Falcao. A true specialist in the area capable of hitting the net with any ball that falls in its vicinity. Their numbers speak for themselves, 52 league goals in two seasons and 70 in 91 games, counting all competitions, with a double in the final of the Europa League and hat-trick in the Super Cup against Chelsea. He left for Monaco after getting 24 goals in his first league, since January already under Simeone (plus another 12 in the Europa League title) and 28 in the second, with a repóker against Deportivo.

Diego Costa (2013-14): 27 goals

But it happened to Falcao goodbye the explosion of Diego Costa in a year for history with the league title and the dispute of the Champions League final. If the previous year he had been the Colombian's squire, in the following he had in Villa (13 league goals) his partner to reach 27 as many pichichi rojiblanco in an extraordinary championship. The best Costa of his career, who scored eight more goals in the Champions League and another in the Cup before leaving for Chelsea. Since his discharge, Atlético did not find a '9' of his draft, nor himself on his return to the club.

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Griezmann (2014-15, 15-16, 16-17, 17-18 and 18-19): 22, 22, 16, 19 and 15 goals

Without a '9' with scoring performance, despite Mandzukic's initial brilliance in 2014 (20 goals among all competitions, but none since February)It was Griezmann who assumed the role of scorer and game generator as his second striker during his five club seasons. Always top scorer rojiblanco, his league numbers went from more to less. In his first year it was difficult to start, but from his hat-trick in San Mamés everything was shot until reaching 22 points in the championship (25 in total). In his second year he repeated the figure in the championship, but added three in the Cup and seven in the Champions to reach a new final where the title could not be lifted. Their numbers dropped to 16 goals in the 2016-17 academic year and after going back to go up to 19, with six more in the Europa League to proclaim himself champion (two of them in the final against Olympique de Marseille and 29 adding the rest of competitions), he left Atlético to Barcelona after his scoring number lowest with 15 goals last season. He had Manzukic, Jackson, Vietto, Gameiro, Torres, Costa and Morata as his main teammates.

Morata (2019-20): 8 goals ** (unfinished)

Finally Atlético has faced its first season without Griezmann with very few goalscoring figures. Diego Costa has not recovered his level, João Félix continues with his acclimatization and Morata has established himself as the leading scorer, but he only has eight goals in the league (12 in total with Anfield's). With the competition stopped since March by the coronavirus pandemic, the '9' has eleven days to score 12 goals if he did not want Atlético's top scorer to stay without reaching 20 goals in the League for the fourth consecutive season. Figures far removed from those achieved by the Forlán, Falcao or Costa years ago.

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