Real Madrid given the lead and the race ignited: Mbappé chases Raphinha and widens the gap over Yamal

Fiery battle

The battle for the Pichichi Trophy, awarded to the top scorer in the Spanish league, has heated up as La Liga nears the end of the opening third of the season. Raphinha, Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal have muscled their way to the top of the scorers' list in an open contest that intensifies with every round.

Brazil's Raphinha leads the race on 15 goals. An injury during the international break barely broke his stride, and he returned to scoring quickly while continuing to light up the attack for his side.

France's Kylian Mbappé sits second on 12. He struck twice against Sevilla and Barcelona before finding the net against Racing Santander, where he needed just 11 minutes to open the scoring.

Young Spaniard Lamine Yamal completes the top three. Two goals against Deportivo Alavés hauled him back into the contest and took his league tally to 10, leaving him just two behind Mbappé and piling the pressure on the two men above him.