Barcelona pursue their 10th successive Primera Liga victory tomorrow at Sevilla. While most of the focus will be on Lionel Messi & co, Carlos Bacca has won some attention, scoring 17 goals to propel Sevilla to fifth in the league and into the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Formidable scorer
Bacca, 28, joined Sevilla from Club Brugge in 2013 for around £6 million (Dh32.3m). He scored 29 goals in 37 league starts in Belgium and has been just as good at Sevilla, netting 30 goals in 63 league games while helping them win a third Europa League title last season.
In good company
Bacca’s 17 league goals this season matches Barcelona’s Neymar and trails only by Cristiano Ronaldo (37) and Lionel Messi (33) in the race to be Spain’s top scorer.
Premier League interest
Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have been linked with a move for Bacca, with Newcastle scouts watching him in last month’s Europa League last-16 legs against Villarreal.
Happy at Sevilla
Despite the reported interest, Bacca says he is happy to stay. “When you’ve been playing well you must be happy and proud at what you’ve done. I’m happy at Sevilla and so is my family. I have a contract for four years,” he said. “I am happy to wear this shirt and I have improved a lot in recent months, but I know I must still improve a lot because I want to give more.
World Cup heartache
Bacca was in Colombia’s World Cup squad in Brazil last year. A leg muscle strain before the match against Ivory Coast ruled him out of the group stage, but he returned for the 2-1 quarter-final defeat to Brazil. He has seven goals in 17 internationals.
