Luis Suárez leads La Liga with nine game-opening goals
Each FC Barcelona player is a small, dry twig in a pile of kindling. Leo Messi and Neymar are the tinder. Luis Suárez is the spark.
That’s because, with three games remaining in the 2016/17 La Liga, Suárez is tops in the first division in game-opening goals, having given Barça a 1–0 lead on nine occasions — the figure rises to 14 if you count non-league games too.
Here’s a look at those nine La Liga games in which Suárez was the first player from either team to score (Click on the opponent to see the highlights):
| DATE | OPPONENT | MIN. |
| 9.24.16 | at Sporting | 29 |
| 12.3.16 | Real Madrid | 53 |
| 12.10.16 | at Osasuna | 59 |
| 12.18.16 | Espanyol | 18 |
| 1.14.17 | Las Palmas | 14 |
| 2.11.17 | at Alavés | 37 |
| 4.2.17 | at Granada | 44 |
| 4.5.17 | Sevilla | 25 |
| 4.29.17 | at Espanyol | 50 |
Barça would go on to win eight of those games, with the only exception being a 1–1 draw versus Real Madrid at Camp Nou.
Suárez has also been Barça’s fire starter in non-league games:
| DATE | OPPONENT | MIN. | COMPETITION |
| 8.14.16 | at Sevilla | 54 | Spanish Super Cup |
| 1.11.17 | Athletic Club | 35 | Copa del Rey |
| 2.1.17 | at Atlético Madrid | 7 | Copa del Rey |
| 2.7.17 | Atlético Madrid | 43 | Copa del Rey |
| 3.8.17 | Paris Saint-Germain | 3 | Champions League |
Suárez’s goal in the third minute against PSG, of course, set the stage for the biggest comeback in Champions League history, which saw Barça overturn a 4–0 first leg defeat with a 6–1 victory in the game at Camp Nou.
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