As the 2018/19 LaLiga Santander season reaches its halfway point, we look at five players primed to break out over the second half of the campaign.
Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
Even the most optimistic of Real Madrid fans didn’t expect Brazilian starlet Vinicius Junior to take so quickly to life in LaLiga, and the 18-year-old looks set to continue his rapid progress through the second half of 2018/19.
After arriving directly from Brazil last summer, the plan was for Vinicius to settle gradually in Spain and play for Madrid’s Castilla youth side in the ‘Segunda B’ third tier. But a LaLiga debut came in late September, and on just his third senior appearance a thrillingly direct run and shot provoked an own goal from Valladolid defender Kiko Olivas which lead directly to three vital points for Madrid.