COLUMN: The one race remaining in La Liga that is still captivating

What’s left to decide in La Liga? Real Madrid have clinched the title with four weeks to spare, the top four are more or less set, and the only real drama in the European race overall is whether Ruben Baraja’s unfancied Valencia can crash the top-seven party. At the other end of the table, two-win Almeria’s relegation has been confirmed, Granada are just about gone, and Cadiz aren’t really showing signs of life down in 18th place as their four-year stay in the top flight nears an end.

But what if I told you that this has still been among the most fascinating seasons in recent memory anyway? We’ve had incredible drama at Barcelona , Athletic Club’s historic cup win , the first embers of a rebuild at one of the country’s biggest clubs , and a Pichichi race the likes of which we haven’t seen in more than a decade.

Who would have thought that after 34 weeks, Girona’s Artem Dovbyk would be atop the scoring charts? Dovbyk supplied an instant response to Barcelona’s opening goal in Saturday afternoon’s Catalan debry, and he went on to assist Portu’s equalizer five minutes after the hour in the eventual 4-2 win. Though questions currently surround Dovbyk over the manner in which he arrived at Girona , there’s little doubting that the Ukrainian has been the revelation of La Liga, on a team that no-one saw coming, on course to become only the second side in 15 years to split the Real Madrid – Barcelona duopoly. Dovbyk’s cushioned header on Saturday took his tally to 20 goals, and his 26 combined goals and assists are more than any other player – he’s gotten even better as the season has moved along. If he wins the Pichichi, he will be the first since 2009 to do it while playing for a team other than Barca or Madrid.

And it